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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/23715121">Balance is as Balance Does</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheStarfishAlien/pseuds/TheStarfishAlien'>TheStarfishAlien</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Batman - All Media Types, DC Extended Universe, Miraculous Ladybug, Young Justice (Cartoon)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Aged-Up Character(s), BAMF Marinette Dupain-Cheng, Badass Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug, Batfamily (DCU), Combined Miraculous (Miraculous Ladybug), Crossover, God Marinette Dupain-Cheng, Guardian Marinette Dupain-Cheng, Jason and Marinette are my brotp, No Romance, Non-Cannon Conforming, OOC Marinette Dupain-Cheng, Other, Self-Indulgent as hell, Side Effects, Slow To Update, Tags May Change, my ace butt just be out here for platonic shizzle, sorry folks, you got the depressed aro ace author</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>In-Progress</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-04-18</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2021-02-14</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-02 21:35:05</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Mature</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>13</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>29,356</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/23715121</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheStarfishAlien/pseuds/TheStarfishAlien</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Marinette commits the taboo. She combines the Black Cat and Ladybug Miraculous. She might survive temporarily becoming a god, but she'll never be the same. She is the guardian and now the protector of balance.</p><p>(aka me writing a fic so I can have more of this idea in my life I guess)</p><p>[UPDATE: as of 12 February 2021 updates will be slow while I sort out brain chaos]</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Batfamily Members &amp; Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug, Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug &amp; Jason Todd, Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug &amp; Pamela Isley, Tim Drake &amp; Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>293</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>1176</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Collections:</b></td><td>Miraculous bests</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. Righting Wrongs, Seeking Balance</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><ul class="associations">


        <li>
            Inspired by

            <a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/21365581">Miraculous fan-fic 2 Electric Boogaloo</a> by <a href="https://archiveofourown.org/users/Aurazian/pseuds/Aurazian">Aurazian</a>.
        </li>

    </ul><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>UPDATE: I will be continuing this and yes it's gonna be a crossover. For those who are new here, the crossover begins in Chapter 2.</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Marinette felt as though she was ripping apart at the seams yet at the same time, she felt invincible.</p><p>Time slowed. Reality could be altered at her barest touch.</p><p>She was no longer Marinette. She was no longer Ladybug...</p><p>Her thoughts and emotions cleared. She had a purpose to remember.</p><p>She blinked slowly at the blade protruding from her chest.</p><p>Hawkmoth...</p><p>Her glowing eyes met his. Fear flickered, Hawkmoth stumbled backward.</p><p>The goddess of balance removed the blade. They all watched it disappear in particles of light.</p><p> </p><p>The goddess was terrifying. She was awe inspiringly ethereal. The white and black silks floated unnaturally even as she approached Hawkmoth and Mayura.</p><p>Neither one could move. No one was sure if it was the goddess’s power or the absolute certainty of defeat that held the two villains in place.</p><p>It didn’t matter.</p><p>It was anticlimactic.</p><p>The goddess of balance had no reason to give a speech. She would not chastise the villains. They would be jailed. They served as one part of the balance.</p><p>Balance was key.</p><p>She turned as Adrien approached, froze, and shook.</p><p>“...no...” he whispered softly as if he hardly dared to believe his eyes. “M’lady...” He ripped his gaze from his own father and Nathalie.</p><p>“There is no more need for Ladybug and Chat Noir in Paris.” She said it loud enough to be sure that the reporters heard, the camera, the world.</p><p>Adrien looked crestfallen.</p><p>“And you?” he whispered too quiet for others to hear.</p><p>“I am the guardian,” she replied. “I must go now, to where there is imbalance. I will continue to protect the miraculous.”</p><p>“Do I get to know who you are?”</p><p>“No.”</p><p>Adrien sagged.</p><p>“You can know who I was. Ladybug and Marinette Dupain-Cheng are no more. Even I do not know who I will become once I relinquish this power.”</p><p>To say Adrien was shocked, would have been an understatement. She had been right there. Right next to him this whole time. And now....</p><p>...now she was forever out of his reach. Ladybug as he knew her, was gone.</p><p> </p><p>The goddess whispered something and a picture fell into her hands. She nodded and said loud enough for Adrien to hear,</p><p>“Let this be the final miraculous ladybug for Paris.”</p><p>She touched her lips to the photo in her palm and blew out the kiss turning the photo into the magical ladybugs that repaired all the damage.</p><p>She was so suddenly gone. It left a void in the hearts of all.</p><p>They knew, all of the people of Paris knew...</p><p>...Ladybug was gone.</p><p> </p><p>~------------------~</p><p> </p><p>While Paris searched for 15 year-old Marinette Dupain-Cheng, no one was looking for 20 year-old Mari Fu. While the name had been pre-planned, the age jump was not. Marinette, or Mari now, could have walked in the door of her parent’s bakery and they would not have recognized her.</p><p>However, she couldn’t do that for several reasons. One, it would make it harder for her to leave. Two, at the moment she was highly unstable. Magically unstable that is. She couldn’t let anyone see her right now. It didn’t help that she couldn’t remove either the black cat or the ladybug miraculous.</p><p>Even if she could, Tikki informed her that taking them off had the slight chance of causing Mari to go mad. Humans weren’t made for power of this type and magnitude. The Miraculous would help keep the balance within. At least until Mari figures out how to deal with all of these new developments.<br/>She could feel every nerve buzz, as though she were a live wire. She was taller now. Taller than she ever imagined she might grow to, possibly taller than she would have been, considering her eyes. They seemed to change with her every emotion and desire. Her hair, while still the same color, nearly reached the back of her knees. She had been forced to braid it just to keep it out of her way.</p><p>Mari knew she had to leave Paris. There were only a few loose ends to wrap up and she was on her last one now, having already repaired the tears in the souls of Nathalie Sancoeur and one Emilie Agreste. While there was no guarantee that Adrien's mother would wake up. Mari had given the woman a chance. It was up to fate and chance now.</p><p>Mari found this last task, the hardest. Her eye color flickered and shifted with her uncertainty.</p><p>“Goodbye Maman, Papa...I’ll make you proud.”</p><p>Mari blew a kiss towards the dark and empty shop as she left her phone, and anything else that could identify her, on her balcony along with a short note repeating the words she had just spoken in a whisper.</p><p>There was no one to see the girl turned woman walk away into the gentle night; backpack slung over one shoulder. There was no one to see how her eyes flashed in the darkness just before she disappeared into shadows.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. A City of Destruction and the Hope of a New Life</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Gotham...a city with one of the highest crime rates in the world. The city where you are never safe. For someone who doesn't exist on any tangible papers, it is the perfect place.</p><p>This is sooooo not edited...I'll go through it when I have time.</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Look at me go! This is me procrastinating on all my final projects like a Stardamn champ. Like legit I had like maybe 1500 or so words in this chapter and in basically 2 days I have upped it to 5300. Most of it just a couple hours ago. This is legit how my life rolls tho. Deadlines roll up and the creative bug comes and bites me hella hard. And honestly...I value my creative spirit over schooling and my grades and most everything because this stuff is my soul my life force. I live and breathe stories. </p><p>[there's a FECKING MULTIVERSE in my HEAD and I can't get it out]<br/>(most everything in this multiverse I have are original stories and characters. It's really wild in my brain my dudes)<br/>This is kinda long so I don't blame you if you just skip it altogether.</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>It had taken Mari nearly a month to a) figure out how to get to Gotham and b) master her abilities far enough to pass as human. Luckily she'd thought to have Trixx help her with illusions. Not just false passports and IDs but with a disguise as well. They had been forced to settle on Mari pretending to be blind when they found that Mari's eyes refused any illusions cast. She had made it through, somehow. Though the lies and false paperwork made her gut churn in guilt, she knew it was necessary.</p><p>She'd been lucky to save a young man who just so happened to be taking over his parent's bakery. He offered free pastries in return for Mari beating the snot out of the nasty muggers.<br/>
He'd let the whole sunglasses at night thing go after her paltry excuse of "sensitive eyes."<br/>
When she tried his macarons, she'd found that she had to compliment him on them, but suggested adding a few new flavors.</p><p>Following the 2 hour conversation and sometimes debate over various pastries, he insisted that she work at his bakery. Even when he saw her getting nervous he insisted that he would meet any conditions she had.</p><p>After another in depth debate, this time over her conditions to work, they came to a compromise.</p><p>Mari Fu now had a job. It wasn't...exactly legal, but Mason, the baker boy, told her that he would pay her under the table until she had paperwork. He then gave her a number to call to help her get that set up with a casual mention that Gotham's just one of those places.</p><p>Despite her initial concerns, Mari found that this would not only help her get on her feet, but it would help her reclaim some sense of normalcy in her life. It was the best course of action.<br/>
Soon enough, Mari Fu had all the paperwork she needed to appear to be a legitimate citizen. At least so long as no one dug too deeply.</p><p>Abandoned warehouses often served as training grounds for Mari's practice. She found that she has a sort of sense for balance between creation and destruction now. She knew why Gotham had drawn her in. It craved healing. Among her arsenal when not transformed, she had the shadow form, which allowed her to become the shadows and run along in them. It worked best at night for obvious reasons. The next ability was more difficult to pinpoint. Either she was manipulating her own weight or the effects of gravity on her body. Either way, it allowed her to slow her descent and jump higher. She found herself wondering if that power would eventual allow her to hang in the air as if weightless.</p><p>She could sense magic now, especially Kwami magic and with that she found she could call on certain powers of the different miraculous without having to transform. Of course the Kwami she borrowed from had to be willing, but it gave her a new way of working. Mari was wary of using any of the miraculous. Even the two trapped on her body. Tikki and Plagg were unsure of how the powers would interact. It was possible that she would gain more abilities. It was also possible that adding another Kwami into the mix would turn Mari's magic haywire and cause a lot of damage.</p><p>So they all decided to hold off transforming using miraculous.</p><p>It took a while to figure out how to keep her hair from trying to float around her. Braiding it weighed it down but learning to actually get the power to halt, took some practice.</p><p>She was walking home late one night. She would prefer to use the shadows but she wanted to know the streets a bit better by foot just in case. A group of three guys that she had passed smoking in an alley had dropped in behind her.</p><p>Mari sighed, but was still glad they had picked her over some other target. She let them corner her. It made them overconfident.</p><p>They laughed and leered. She barely heard their words. She didn't particularly care to listen. She didn't notice when her braid swished like the tail of a cat in annoyance.</p><p>Mari removed her bag and set it next to the wall of the alley.</p><p>As one of the three men reached for a gun to intimidate her, she leapt into action. First, punching the gun guy in the ribs. The crack was audible but Mari didn't slow. She kicked the next closest guy across the alley. He hit the wall and slid down stunned. The third guy got riled up and seemed to insist that she take off her sunglasses.</p><p>Mari decided on a whim to oblige him and tossed the glasses into her purse at the alley wall.<br/>
The man back peddled, tripping over his own feet in his haste to get away from the woman with the flicking braid and the glowing green cat eyes. She caught up to him easily and with a quick softened blow to his throat, he was down and gasping for air. She carefully checked to make sure she hadn't crushed his throat and similarly checked the other two guys. They would all be fine eventually.</p><p>She dragged them out to the nearest pay phone after putting her sunglasses back on and her purse on her shoulder. She frowned, debating on how she should deal with them. She didn't really want to hurt them further, but she didn't have any rope either.</p><p>Just then she sensed someone drenched in a corrupted life magic. She scanned the rooftops and when she spotted a flash of red she waved it over.</p><p>The man who landed before her, was taller than Mari, but not by a huge amount. He wore a red helmet and leather jacket over some sort of suit.</p><p>"What do you want lady?" His voice was gruff but he didn't seem adverse to helping.</p><p>Mari jerked her head towards the three injured men on the sidewalk.</p><p>"Your one of Gotham's vigilantes right? Do you have something to tie them with?"</p><p>He eyed her carefully. She knew that she looked rather suspicious with the glasses on but it was all she could do to keep her braid from floating out of nervousness.</p><p>He nodded, "yeah I'll take care of it..." he said trailing off. "Look Lady, you obviously aren't from around here. You shouldn't be walking around at night in this part of town."</p><p>"It's Mari..." he blinked, "...my name," she finished. He nodded but before he could comment she kept going. "I appreciate the concern, but I'd rather they target me than some helpless woman. I wouldn't be out if I wasn't certain that I can handle myself."</p><p>She was trying to keep him there and talking with her while Plagg snuck around and started pulling at the corruption coating this vigilante.<br/>
Mari herself wanted to draw it off but that would call attention to herself.</p><p>"Well okay Mari. I'm Red Hood. Just...keep sharp on the streets here. Don't let your guard down," he said with the tone of someone who had been on the tougher side of a few fights.</p><p>Mari nodded, "same goes to you, Red Hood."<br/>
Plagg zipped around and back into Mari's jacket as Red Hood turned to the three guys still on the ground by the phone booth. "I'd better get back. Thank you for your help, Red Hood," Mari commented with a wave.</p><p>The grunt he gave in reply was reply enough for Mari and she left, making her way home without further incident.</p><p>The moment she closed the door, Plagg zipped out of her coat. She raised a questioning eyebrow at the Kwami of destruction.</p><p>"I think it was meant to be some sort of imitation of Tikki's magic. It has been used to cheat death..." Plagg was uncharacteristically serious.<br/>
Mari nodded, thoughtful.</p><p>"Is the corruption harming him?"</p><p>Tikki popped out to answer, "it's messing with his mind I'm certain, but his health should be okay."</p><p>"Sugar cube is right. Physically he's doing just fine," Plagg added helpfully.</p><p>"Can we help him at all?"</p><p>"Oh Mari! You're always thinking about how to help others," Tikki said cheerfully.</p><p>"Yeah, we can help him. It just might be a little difficult to get his cooperation,"Plagg reminded them.</p><p>"I sensed him before he was in sight. Or at least I sensed whatever false life magic it is that has hold of him. Can we track him and try to catch him off guard? Or...I don't know..." Mari struggled for words as she tried to think through possible solutions. "...trying to ambush a vigilante is likely a very bad idea. Not to mention unkind. It would attract unwanted attention...but how can I get close enough to...Oh." Mari snapped her fingers suddenly. "I can get close to him. Befriend him and gain his trust." She lifted her gaze to the now crowd of Kwamis floating around her, requesting their input on her idea.</p><p>"That might be difficult," murmured Nooroo quietly before flinching as the others looked to him. Mari held out her hand to him.</p><p>"It's okay Nooroo. I value your opinion. You can speak freely," she said smiling softly. The butterfly Kwami flew to her hand and she brought him to nestle against her. He had been abused for a long time, recovery would not be swift but Mari was willing to go the distance for this little god.</p><p>After all, now she had been a god herself. She understood these small creatures so much better than anyone else could ever hope to be able to.</p><p>"You can feel how this city is. While I can't sense the scales of balance, I can sense the emotions of the people. There's a..." the little god shivered and Mari used a finger to rub little circles on Nooroo's head. "...Mari, there's a lot of negative emotion here and everyone is distrustful."</p><p>Mari hummed in acknowledgement. It only confirmed what she'd researched and seen of the city so far. She lifted the butterfly Kwami and nuzzled him softly.</p><p>"Thank you, Nooroo. I did suspect that, but having you confirm it is just what I needed. I think...even if it takes me a while, befriending one of Gotham's vigilantes would be a wise decision." There was a chorus of agreement from the Kwamis around her at this decision.</p><p>"Now," Mari said with a conspiratorial grin, "who is going with me tomorrow for work?"</p><p>The excited chatter of the Kwamis followed Mari as she settled herself in to design for the night.</p><p>That was another side effect of her brief stint as a god. She didn't always follow a human sleep schedule. Thankfully she still needed human food. It was one of the few things that made her feel normal. Even her designs had changed into dresses with mysterious layers and hidden patterns. She had yet to know what would happen when she would have the actual materials to create anything, but it was likely to be so very different from before.</p><p>Mari sighed and took another bite of her apple, placing her pencil down after finishing another mysterious and intriguing design with all sorts of hidden features. She glanced around the room to see the Kwamis spread out across the space. Some were sleeping together in little piles, others slept out on their own little beds or nestled in soft blankets. Nooroo was curled in Mari's lap with Plagg and Tikki tucked on either side of him. The sight filled Mari with a warmth and sorrow, she smiled sadly. The butterfly Kwami had not been a part of the debate on who got to go with Mari out into the world.</p><p>As Nooroo began to stir, Mari carefully scooped Plagg and Tikki onto their bed on her desk. Upon his awakening, Mari took Nooroo into another room so they could talk together privately.</p><p>"Good morning, Mari," Nooroo greeted.</p><p>"Morning Nooroo. Did you sleep well?" </p><p>The little god nodded and Mari smiled as she nuzzled him softly. She pulled back and her smile gently fell.</p><p>"Nooroo...I want you to know that you can come outside with me whenever you feel ready. If that is something that is still a ways off, that's perfectly fine with me. You don't need to rush and I don't want you straining yourself being around so many negative emotions if it's too much, but if being out in the world with me is better I am always willing to take you. No questions asked."</p><p>Nooroo began to tear up and worry flashed through Mari. The little god flew into her suddenly, hugging her with all the fierceness he contained.</p><p>"Thank you, thank you, thank you Mari..." he cried.</p><p>Mari smiled again with all the softness.</p><p>"Anything for you, Nooroo."</p><p>~-----~</p><p>When the sensors had suddenly gone haywire, there was panic in the Justice League. Where there had been so much quiet that it had nearly been suspicious, without warning Paris was somehow radiating an immense, reality altering level of magic.</p><p>Batman patched them into the local news feed from his position in the Batcave and once the battle was finished he replayed the previous footage.</p><p>They watched as a young hero and her partner fought a losing battle.</p><p>They watched these children, barely escape with their lives.</p><p>They watched the young woman returned and ducked behind a car for cover.</p><p>They watched a light erupt from behind the car.</p><p>They watched the young woman transform from spotted hero to ethereal god.</p><p>They watched as a child became a god and after fixing the damage...</p><p>...they watched her disappear.</p><p>Their investigation revealed frustratingly little about what type of magic this was. According to any that were knowledgeable on the subject, it was more ancient than anything they had encountered and therefore out of their league.</p><p>After a conversation with her mother, Diana shared that this was the work of something called miraculous and that what happened in Paris should never have happened. Diana had not been able to uncover more than that. Hippolyta had insisted that she could not reveal more than that without the Guardian's permission.</p><p>The subsequent investigations in Paris were quite informational, but not very useful except for their last lead; the outed Chat Noir, Adrien Agreste.</p><p>"What can I do for the Justice League?" The teen looked exhausted as he answered their request to a private interview with him.</p><p>"We understand that you were the hero Chat Noir?"</p><p>Adrien blinked slowly at Superman's question as though it were a rather stupid one.</p><p>"Yeah. That should be obvious. It's been all over the news, how I had to spend years fighting my own dad, Ladybug being one of my own classmates and friend, where is Ladybug now blah, blah, blah..." He sighed heavily. "Look, if you're looking for Ladybug or whoever...whatever she is now, I don't know anything. I never saw her again after the last battle and no one has seen Marinette either. She's gone. As the Guardian, she had no choice but to leave Paris. Especially after her identity as Ladybug was revealed."</p><p>"What about that new form she took? She was...a god?" It was Wonder Woman who asked.</p><p>Adrien drew in a sharp breath and fixed his gaze on his hands.</p><p>"I-I don't understand much more than the general populace about this. Mari was the one chosen to be the next Guardian. I was on a need-to-know basis. It was safer that way but from what I understand, combining the black cat miraculous with the ladybug miraculous has dire consequences...that is if the wielder can handle that much power to begin with. My...Father...he wanted to use them to wish for my mother's life back, for her to wake from her coma. But making a wish, any wish has horrible consequences. Our master, the previous Guardian, told us that a wish using our miraculous combined would upset the balance of the world and likely cause calamity."</p><p>Batman stepped out of a corner of the room, the others had nearly forgotten he was there.</p><p>"Did Marinette wish for anything?"</p><p>"NO...She wouldn't...I don't think she would do that. There hasn't been any evidence," Adrien defended his ex partner desperately.</p><p>Wonder Woman nodded as though this was what she had expected.</p><p>"From what we've learned about your friend, Marinette, she was a very selfless and kind person. And she did say something about going to where imbalance is in that last news footage of her as that unknown entity. There was no mention of any wish," Wonder Woman said and it made her glad to see the boy relax a bit and a soft smile to come to his face. Plus, Batman needed the reminder not to be so cynical when the evidence pointed to the contrary.</p><p>"We called her our everyday Ladybug...Oh Kwami she must have been under so much pressure to live up to the standard in and out of the suit..." Adrien dropped his face in his hands but continued, "for me, Chat Noir was freedom. It was a release from being the perfect son, a perfect model. For Marinette, it must have been the weight of the world on her shoulders. I was such a fool." He laughed sharply at his own past self.</p><p>The Justice League's afternoon with Adrien Agreste had indeed proved to be very helpful and while they had no idea of the whereabouts of Marinette or the miraculous under her protection, they understood the situation and what led up to the teen's disappearance.</p><p>The only one not satisfied with this outcome was Batman. Of course, no one was surprised by this. They agreed to leave the situation be until further evidence came to light. Marinette Dupain-Cheng's actions were deemed reasonable and until she stirred up trouble of some kind or made some sort of appearance, they would let her live in hiding as it was likely that she was doing.</p><p>Batman would continue his investigation privately. There were no complaints.</p><p>~-----~</p><p>Jason Todd had been scoping out Lant's Bakery for almost a week. It was from here that extra baked goods from the day were passed out among the street kids of Gotham. He'd made sure to try some himself, just to make sure no one was slipping anything into it. It all checked out. The new baker in the kitchen was the one left to deal with the left overs. He easily recognized her as the woman who had flagged him down as Red Hood not long ago.</p><p>After all it's not exactly common to wear sunglasses constantly. Especially in Gotham. It made her suspicious and he hadn't found anything on her. It was almost worse that way, her name, Mari Fu, led back to a more reputable identity forging shop. There was nothing before that besides some vague documentation of flight from Europe to the United States, any specific documents from then were mysteriously missing. It was as if she didn't exist. And that alone made Jason even more suspicious.</p><p>Yet here she was, a simple baker. She went home each night after leaving goods out for the street kids and came to work early in the morning to start baking again. She hadn't done anything remotely suspicious.</p><p>That in and of itself was suspicious, but maybe that was the paranoia talking. Jason wasn't entirely sure anymore.</p><p>It was time. Jason took a fortifying breath and made his way across the street and into the bakery just as the owner and usual cashier left.</p><p>He managed to catch the twitch of a grin that Mari, the only employee in the store now, tried to hide as she turned to greet him.</p><p>"Welcome sir," she greeted casually. "What can I get for you?"</p><p>Jason studied her for a moment; up close and in the light she seemed almost out of place, but her presence was warm and comforting. It was confusing the hell out of Jason. He decided he didn't like it and bristled unconsciously.</p><p>"I'll have one of everything if you'll take off the sunglasses," he challenged and immediately cursed himself internally. He wasn't supposed to antagonize her, he was trying to gather information.</p><p>She looked taken aback for a moment before tilted her head as though examining him closer. He pictured her blinking slowly like a cat behind her sunglasses. She pursed her lips a moment before seeming to come to her decision.</p><p>She shrugged, "why not I suppose. I wear them because I'm light sensitive, I'm sorry if they've bothered you. I don't normally run the counter."</p><p>And now Jason felt like a royal jerk. She seemed sincere in her apology, though he wasn't sure how accurate the sensitive eyes thing was.</p><p>Mari carefully removed the glasses, revealing very pale grey-blue eyes. She blinked in discomfort but immediately smiled the gracious customer service smile at him.</p><p>"Is that still an order for one of everything, or did you decide on something else?"</p><p>Jason shook his head, "no, same order." Suddenly he felt the need to justify his actions before her. "I'm givin' it to the street kids near my place. Your stuff doesn't always get out to them."</p><p>He watched Mari's mouth quirk into a genuine smile as she continued to box up his order.</p><p>"I see," she said gently. "I only wish I could do more."</p><p>"You do plenty more than most miss..." he pretended to be leaning for a better look at her name tag. "...Mari."</p><p>She seemed amused by his actions, but made no comment about it.</p><p>"I am planning to make a bunch of sandwiches this weekend," she said casually, "I could use the help in getting them out. The street kids don't know me, but I'm guessing they do know you, mister..."</p><p>"Jason and you don't know me. I could be a murderer or worse a rapist," Jason said narrowing his eyes.</p><p>Mari laughed and ended up with her hands over her eyes as something bright reflected some stray beam of sunlight that somehow slipped through the Gotham Smog.</p><p>"Ouch..." she muttered. "Sorry, give me a second. I might have to do the rest of this with my eyes closed." She righted herself and turned back to face Jason, eyes closed as she collected the boxes and bags of his items.</p><p>"Sorry, Mari. You don't have to keep the glasses off," Jason said, squirming with guilt. The blessed woman only smiled.</p><p>"Don't worry, I could still kick your ass eyes closed."</p><p>She spoke with a confidence that could only have come from years of experience fighting people off. Her confidence did not feel like any sort of bravado.</p><p>Jason's cell rang, startling them both. Jason gave himself a mental shake before checking the caller ID, Timbit, the screen read.</p><p>"Give me a sec here," Jason said as he hit accept. He watched Mari nod understandingly.</p><p>"Timbo, what's cooking?"</p><p>[Jason I...] a tired sigh resounded from the other end [...you know that cam footage you wanted me to check?]</p><p>Jason slipped what he hoped was a casual glance Mari's way.</p><p>"Yeah...I remember."</p><p>There was a long pause.</p><p>"Timmers?"</p><p>[Don't call me that. You're in the room with her aren't you?]</p><p>Jason frowned, "yeah...wh-oh...What'd you find?"</p><p>[I'll send a video of the footage to you.]</p><p>He hung up, leaving a now wary Jason alone with the very woman that he was researching into. Jason turned back to find that she had put her sunglasses back on again and had rung up his items.</p><p>"Sorry, that was my brother. Family business ya know?"</p><p>Mari smiled, "I remember how that used to be. I never had siblings but my parents ran a bakery. It kept me busy with family things."</p><p>"You didn't stay? That seems a lot better than coming to Gotham and working in some small bakery." People didn't just choose Gotham over a happy family life.</p><p>Mari's smile fell.</p><p>"There are various reasons I couldn't stay. Besides, fashion is my real passion. This is just to help keep me on my own two feet until I can establish myself."</p><p>Mari froze and then held out her hand palm up towards Jason. He blinked, confused and she snorted in laughter as he placed the money for his order in her hand.</p><p>"Give me your phone. We meet this weekend, in a public place," she stated clearly when he was about to interrupt her, "as I was saying, we meet in a public place of my choosing and I hand you the bags of sandwiches." She sighed emphatically. "Jeez...how am I supposed to make friends with anyone if I avoid them entirely."</p><p>When she saw Jason's hesitation, she sighed again, this time exasperated. She pulled out her own phone and shoved it into Jason's hands after unlocking it. She busied herself with working out his change and left Jason to freely peruse her device. He quickly tapped it into his, using a handy program he'd snagged from Tim.</p><p>Opening her contacts he found a surprising lack of contacts, or perhaps it was unsurprising for someone who didn't exist. There was her employer, Mason and a few numbers from her neighbors. That was it. He added his and sent a quick text to his own phone and another to Tim's that he deleted and placed the phone on the counter.</p><p>Mari shoved his change into his hands before he could tell her to keep it. It was as if she could tell that he had planned to do that very thing. She certainly wasn't wrong.</p><p>"Thanks Sunglasses, it was nice to meet you. I'll see you this weekend I guess," Jason said as he picked up his baked goods and turned to leave the bakery.</p><p>"Nice to meet you too, old man," Mari returned raising her brows as she gestured to her head in reference to his white streak.</p><p>Jason left the bakery laughing, surprising Mari's coworker and boss Mason as he was coming back in.</p><p>Jason wasn't laughing when he watched the grainy night footage of flashing green eyes and braided hair that whipped like a living tail on Mari who was taking down a man with a swift throat jab. She had calmly slipped into that alley, and easily taken down all three within minutes at most. His eye caught on her checking the man's injury. That was curious. He would ask for Tim's theories on the matter later. He kept watching as she dragged the three men out of the alley with relative ease and then hands on her hips, debating something. Then she was scanning the rooftops, seeming to expect to find something. To find him.</p><p>Jason frowned and hit pause. How could she have known he was coming? If she was some sort of meta then she's damn powerful and should be anywhere but Gotham.</p><p>~-----~</p><p>Mari praised the higher powers that she had decided to use Red Hood's stakeout of her house to work on controlling her eyes. She hadn't expected this sort of boldness from him, but she was at least prepared for it and that preparedness had saved her butt today. Yet, the idea of a video of her nagged at her mind.</p><p>She practically had a cat's hearing now. Thanks Plagg. So even if she had tried, she wasn't able to tune out Jason's call with his brother. That was definitely something she was still trying to work on. The ladybug traits were definitely more subtle, she had been starting to feel some of those effects back when she was just Ladybug, just Marinette. Lets just say, Mari was not going to be looking forward to the winter season.</p><p>"That vigilante, Jason. I think he knows that I'm not human. Or at least not fully. Should I be worried?" Her question was directed to the Kwamis, who zipped from various corners of her apartment and three of which slipped from her coat.</p><p>They all gathered and discussed as Mari removed her coat and shoes. They followed her to the kitchen, where she began to put together dinner for the lot of them.</p><p>"I think we should wait and see how things go," Tikki offered.</p><p>Plagg jumped out front, paws on his hips.</p><p>"We know where he is, I say we talk to him now. Sugar Cube, if he's decided that Mari is a threat that will make things difficult for us. We can't leave it up to his decision. He'll think the worst. This is Gotham," Plagg said not unkindly. He was being blunt, but it was the truth.</p><p>"He'll ask questions Plagg," Tikki pointed out, "and we both know the questions he will ask have will be very difficult to answer."</p><p>Nooroo came and settled on Mari's shoulder, she smiled and spared a finger to pet him before returning to her work on the various meal choices of the Kwamis within the household.</p><p>The Kwamis still argued back and forth over the topic and Mari appreciated their input. It helped her think through all the pros and cons of each decision.</p><p>Nooroo tapped the side of her face gently to get her attention.</p><p>"Hm?"</p><p>"You could show him," the butterfly Kwami bit his lip worriedly, "your powers I mean. Not the Plagg stuff but the creation and healing part. You should balance yourself too since you often use Plagg's powers first."</p><p>"That's an interesting idea Nooroo, tell me more," Mari encouraged.</p><p>"Um...well...Since Gotham needs healing, he would see you helping and would see you aren't a bad person," he finished quietly. He was still afraid of being brushed aside, ordered into silence.</p><p>"C'est une idée magnifique Nooroo," informed Mari with a bright smile for the Kwami. "I believe that is exactly what I'll do.</p><p>~-----~</p><p>Jason groaned as his cell rang loudly next to the bed. Blearily he saw that there was an incoming call and jammed his finger on the accept icon.</p><p>"What," he grumbled sleepily.</p><p>[That lady your stalking, is she meta?]</p><p>"I'm not! What the hell Tim?! It's..." Jason pulled the phone away from his ear and grimaced at the time shown. "It's too damn late, or early...whatever. Go to bed."</p><p>[Jason, you think she's meta right?]</p><p>"Yeah, why..."</p><p>[She's on the move. Cam down the street caught a figure climbing out a window. Her tracker's on the move.]</p><p>"SHit..." Jason sat up and groaned into his free hand.</p><p>[Agreed. Do you want me to tail her? She's headed my way anyway.]</p><p>"Yeah," Jason sighed. "But..."</p><p>The line was silent as Tim waited. But what? Don't hurt her? If she was causing trouble, they couldn't afford to go easy on her. She was likely meta and a strong one at that. Jason found himself sighing again.</p><p>"Be careful, she's probably strong. Don't engage her without backup." Jason thought back to their interactions. It suddenly hit him, that if she had sensed him on the roofs she might know who he was as a civilian. One phrase she had said caught in his mind.</p><p>"Tim."</p><p>[Yeah, Jace?]</p><p>"I just realized that she might have recognized me somehow and she said something about being able to take me with her eyes closed...Tim, I don't think she was kidding..."</p><p>The silence hung on the air. No doubt Tim was working various scenarios through that stupidly big brain of his.</p><p>[I'll be careful. I'll call and update you about what she's up to tonight once I finish tailing her.]</p><p>The line went dead, no goodbye. Tim tended to be like that when he was mostly in his head. Jason found himself wanting to sigh again as he hoped that sunglasses Mari would turn out to be some sort of kind meta saint or something.</p><p>Jason had no way to realize that his desperate hope wasn't all that far off the mark.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Next Chapter: Tim Drake Stalker Extraordinaire is on the case of the mysterious meta*, Mari Fu</p><p>*As in Jason and Tim think she's a meta</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0003"><h2>3. Of Paranoia and Magical Girls that Disappear Into Shadows</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Mari does some balancing work stuffs and Bat boys have wayyyyy too much paranoia. Also, some more back ground on Mari's sitch thrown into the mix somewhere there.</p><p>Also, I vibe with Tim Drake so much. He's so me it hurts sometimes. He is a sleepless child who needs an intervention for his caffeine addiction. Homeboy needs SLEEP</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>A surprise appearance inspired by a comment from https://archiveofourown.org/users/ArchangelBloodraven/pseuds/ArchangelBloodraven</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Tim swept out of his lair of sleeplessness in pursuit of the odd woman that Jason was stalking. To be fair, people from Gotham were not generally nice so behavior of that sort was indeed suspicious, but not to the degree that Jason had taken it.</p><p>However, since the evidence made it very clear that this Mari Fu was probably a meta, Tim wasn't complaining. Perhaps it was the weird bat sense they'd developed for people and problems. Then again maybe it's just the bat paranoia.</p><p>Tim as Red Robin hung back at the edge of sight-line. He wasn't about to jump head first into trouble with a meta of unknown power, at least not when he was alone.</p><p>She was walking with a purpose, but there was no anxiety to her steps. No fear of the Gotham night, and no fear of pursuit. Either she was really brave, really stupid, or really powerful.</p><p>When a man stopped her, Tim nearly allowed himself to leap to her aid, but stopped himself on the roof above just in time to watch the man grab her arm.</p><p>Mari slid her glasses down far enough for the man to see her eyes. Tim was at the wrong angle.</p><p>She growled lowly, "Get. Off."</p><p>The man dropped her arm like she'd burned him and turned fleeing down the streets swearing up a storm.</p><p>Mari kept walking as though the encounter hadn't happened and Tim added another thing to the list of weird things about Mari Fu. Maybe she was an alien. If so, Tim needed to figure out if she was friend or foe faster.</p><p>Tim broke his train of thought as Mari entered an abandoned park. When it became barren and unable to sustain any plant life, it had been abandoned and no one had touched it since. Tim was fairly certain that this park was on a particular list at Wayne Enterprise. Future clean-up project list. It was a long list. Gotham had always been a hard city.</p><p>Tim transitioned himself to the shadows of dead trees in the park in order to keep sight of Mari. She halted in the center of the park and glanced around impassively taking everything in. She nodded to herself and knelt on the ground.</p><p>Tim was not liking this development. He called Jason and quietly informed him of the situation. Mari had seated herself cross-legged on the ground and seemed to be meditating.</p><p>"Jason I want you here ASAP I don't like this at all. I don't know what she's about to do but it feels big," he whispered as loud as he dared.</p><p>Mari placed her hands in her lap after removing her sunglasses and was still meditating, but the air around her seemed to be changing somehow. Anyone nearby would have been able to feel the gathering of power that Tim did.</p><p>"Fuck..." Tim breathed in soft horror.</p><p>[What? What happened Red?] Jason's voice was too loud in Tim's ear but he whispered back the answer anyway.</p><p>"She's glowing..." Tim's breath caught and then suddenly he was breathing too fast. "J...She's glowing...."</p><p>[Glowing? Glowing how?]</p><p>"Green...like spring green..."</p><p>Mari opened her eyes. They glowed a soft purple and met Tim's own horrified blue eyes. She knew he was there. She smiled gently and then dug her glowing hands into the barren dirt beneath her.</p><p>She closed her eyes again and seemed to concentrate on forcing the green glow into her hands and into the ground.</p><p>Tim yelped, jumping into a nearby dead tree as the ground beneath him started taking on a faint glow.</p><p>[Red! You okay?! I'm almost there!]</p><p>Tim nearly lost his grip on the tree he was in.</p><p>"I-I'm okay...I think," he said and froze as a thought struck him. "It's magic Jason. I don't know how I know, but it's magic..."</p><p>[What's magi-HOLY SHIT]</p><p>"Mood..."</p><p>[Now is not the time Red. Are you okay?]</p><p>"Yeah, I'm great actually," Tim admitted and it was true. He felt hopeful and more awake than he had in a long time. He didn't know what was going on but it was weird as hell.</p><p>It was over, just like that as Mari pulled her hands from the ground and stood. The glowing faded away, but the soil felt different.</p><p>Mari's eyes flashed into a cat eye green as she smiled at him apologetically. She jumped at the sound of Jason's boots hitting the ground and bolted for the nearest tree.</p><p>It was pure instinct for Red Robin and Red Hood to give chase.</p><p>Tim wasn't sure what he expected, but for Mari to leap straight into the tree's shadow and disappear was not it.</p><p>She was gone. Just like that.</p><p>Tim pulled up the screen he'd used to track her but the tracker couldn't be found. Tim muttered darkly under his breath.</p><p>"What the hell happened?" Jason finally asked. Now wasn't that the million dollar question. Tim shrugged and knelt collecting a soil sample.</p><p>"She did something to the soil. I'll take it back to my nest for testing."</p><p>Jason groaned.</p><p>"I have to see her this weekend. I am not prepared for this magic shit."</p><p>Tim glanced side-long at Jason as he removed his helmet, then Tim's gaze caught on a sleek car that he knew he recognized. He straightened abruptly and nodded in the direction of the car on the street when Jason sent him a confused glance.</p><p>Jason sucked in a breath when he saw a certain red-headed reformed villain spring from the vehicle and march their way with a very intense look in her eyes.</p><p>"Ivy," greeted Tim carefully, but Poison Ivy, or more often going by Pamela Isley, didn't seem to notice.</p><p>She spun a full circle slowly in a sort of slack-jawed, wide-eyed wonder. She knelt quickly and brushed the dirt with her hands before popping back upright just as quickly and examining a nearby tree. She finally turned to face the two vigilantes.</p><p>"What happened here?"</p><p>"Magic," Jason said with a grimace.</p><p>"What happened to the park, Ivy?" Tim was carefully neutral with his question.</p><p>Ivy narrowed her eyes at him but decided to answer anyways.</p><p>"It's alive..." Her words hung in the air between the three of them. They all knew it shouldn't be possible. Even the soil was tainted here, not to mention the toxic groundwater. It should've taken years of treatments and soil replacement to get anything to even grow halfway. "...you know something," she said abruptly.</p><p>Both vigilantes shifted uncomfortably, debating silently with each other over whether or not to say anything. Tim finally made his own decision.</p><p>"There's a new player in town. We are trying to figure out their motive," Tim admitted carefully.</p><p>"Who." It was a demand not a question.</p><p>"You know we can't tell you that until we've verified that she's not a threat," Jason said and immediately cursed as he realized he used a pronoun. That would make Pamela's pool of suspects that much smaller.</p><p>The reformed villain "hmm'd"</p><p>"So it's a woman?"</p><p>"Yes," Tim admitted with a sigh. "Jason found her and has been stalking her to figure out who and what she is." He pointedly ignored Jason's glare at the mention of stalking.</p><p>"You boys can't figure her out? What about the big boss-man? He has to know something," Ivy pointed out.</p><p>"We haven't brought him in yet."</p><p>"And we aren't going to," Jason state's stubbornly.</p><p>"He's been checking that massive energy surge fro-," Tim froze and blinked slowly. Ivy and Jason could almost see the gears turning.</p><p>"What, what is it?" Jason was insistent.</p><p>"She's French..."</p><p>Now it was the other two's turn to blink but in confusion.</p><p>"Jason, don't you see? She's got to be tied to the Paris incident. The vague papers, the magic... It all makes sense!" The other two were still lost, neither one being the most up to date with League business. "I didn't think about it at first because of the time in between events and the fact that you were only stalking her because she's helping the local street kids and then found something-"</p><p>"Woah, woah, woah," Ivy halted Tim's rambling. "You're saying you two are still suspicious of her after she's done nothing but help street kids and use magic to...purify this park?"</p><p>The batboys at least had the nerve to look mildly embarrassed about their suspicions.</p><p>"She also took out three full grown men and can turn into or disappear into shadows," Jason grumbled faintly.</p><p>Ivy raised an unimpressed brow.</p><p>"Were they innocent little lambs of men?"</p><p>"No..." Jason admitted unwilling to meet Ivy's sharp gaze. She sighed and supported her head in one hand.</p><p>"I'm not saying you can't keep an eye on her, goodness knows that kind of power always attracts the wrong kind of attention, but boys..." She made them both meet her steady gaze. "...give the poor girl the benefit of the doubt. It's no wonder she ran from you tonight."</p><p>Jason grumbled something under his breath and Ivy gave him a scathing glare.</p><p>"What was that?"</p><p>"I said, she's almost too good. It's suspicious. Too good to be true," Jason repeated but firmly and maintained eye contact with the reformed villain.</p><p>"I will find this girl myself and I will figure out if you're onto something or just paranoid like the Bat," Ivy promised, but it sounded more like a warning. She put her hands on her hips and moved to turn and walk away, but rounded back on the two young men. "And another thing. Things are going to start budding here tomorrow like it's the first warm week in spring. This park will not only be alive, it will thrive. Keep that in mind as you harass this poor woman. She ought to kick your butts. You deserve it."</p><p>Ivy humphed and spun on her heel to march back to her waiting car, as if her words solved everything.</p><p>Lets just say that Tim and Jason were left with a lot to think about.</p><p>~-----~</p><p>"I feel like that was...awful..." Mari hung her head in her hands on a shadowed rooftop, still blending with the shadows.</p><p>"That's not true, Mari!" Tikki had popped out from her pocket in Mari's jacket and now faced the tired young woman. They were finally seeing some of Marinette coming back to Mari. Yes, she would never be the same, but she was becoming more distinct, more... human. Tikki thought that sometime soon Mari might be able to wield a miraculous without accidentally fusing her own soul to it.</p><p>Tikki continued, "You have made a first step in balancing Gotham. It was a great first step. You did amazing despite never having done it before."</p><p>"Sugar Cube is right. And anyways, who cares what a couple of back-alley crime fighters think of you?"</p><p>"Uhm, Plagg? You know that they are part of the huge vigilante squad in Gotham and several of them have connections to the Justice League, right?" Mari was eyeing the cat Kwami with mild concern.</p><p>"Who cares...You can take'em, easy."</p><p>"Plagg! We shouldn't make enemies where we don't have to. Mari doesn't want to fight against the one's who work so hard to bring justice to Gotham."</p><p>"They'll think we're shady criminals, or terrorists, or shady criminal terrorists," Mari groaned, her anxiety spiking at the thought of having to try to fight the only other system of justice and the only reliable force in capturing heinous criminals.</p><p>"Nah," Plagg replied, rather confidently. "You bleed good intentions. I should know. I'm fused to you."</p><p>Mari blinked almost confused for a moment.</p><p>"Oh...yeah, that." Mari's thought's strayed to what the Kwamis had told her. The reason why she couldn't take off the miraculous of creation and destruction. As a true holder, she had harmonized with the miraculous so well that the lines between the souls of the Kwamis and Mari's own became blurred. And, now that it had happened once. Until her soul relearned where its' boundaries were at, she risked merging her soul to the next miraculous that she wielded. The ring on her finger gleamed under the light of a flickering streetlamp. She may not ever be able to use the Black Cat nor the Ladybug miraculous again.</p><p>The Kwamis had been worried that the Order of Guardians would try to do something to Mari. If it was enough to frighten the Kwamis, it was enough to make Mari stay far away. She didn't want to know the possibilities.</p><p>Mari could never be human again...the thought brought her mood down further once more and despite her constant company, she suddenly felt so very, very alone. She really didn't have anyone who understood and now she may have scared off the only potential vigilante friends that she could make in this whole city.</p><p>Perhaps, Mari thought carefully, it was time for a vacation. Star City could be nice, or maybe Central City. Of course, Metropolis housed the Daily Planet which had the greatest scoops on Superman and the Justice League. Not to mention the most reasonable and credible critiques on heroes and their effects on society.</p><p>She raised her gaze to the Kwamis around her.</p><p>"Guys?" The Kwamis focused, waiting with anticipation. Mari grinned, her eyes shifted making her look every inch a mischievous cat.</p><p>"Let's go to Metropolis."</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>A surprise appearance inspired by https://archiveofourown.org/users/ArchangelBloodraven/pseuds/ArchangelBloodraven Their comment gave life to a certain redhead now on a mission. Ivy is bound and determined to find our creation being Mari.<br/>Next Chapter Mari goes to Metropolis, among other things.<br/>Anywho, your comments are awesome guys. Y'all are giving me more cool ideas for this.<br/></p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0004"><h2>4. Pushing Boundaries, Saving Lives; It's What I Do</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Mari goes to Metropolis AKA Mari becomes a Cryptid<br/>That's really it. Stuff just happens and Mari could make bank as a pickpocket.</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>This chapter is just gonna be a wild mix of my own design. Not at all canon-compliant. Jonathon Kent, Clark and Lois' son. He's 13 but through some research I did, he is currently 17 after a weird age-jump he did in comics. Conner is technically like 10-11* but prolly looks 16-ish still. Idk I feel like he wouldn't really age much, being Superman's clone and all (Later looked it up and yeah I was right).</p><p>*This is basing Conner's age relative to Dick's at the time that Conner was found in the show Young Justice. He was like 18 months old if I remember correctly. I dunno dudes.</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Metropolis.</p><p>It was a lot cleaner than Gotham, and newer. Which Mari quickly deduced the reason for as she was fleeing from a collapsing building. People were running, in less panic than Mari might have expected. That almost disturbed Mari more, because of the implications.</p><p>She rolled quickly into an alley and looked to the kwamis present with her for help. Nooroo rushed in close and huddled at her neck.</p><p>"I want to help," he said shakily. Mari brushed him gently with a finger. </p><p>"It's too dangerous without a holder...unless..." She carefully scooped the Kwami into her palm and brought him forward to look into his eyes.</p><p>"No, it's too dangerous Marinette!" Tikki's cry was firm. Everyone ignored Tikki's slip and Mari's flinch at her old name.</p><p>"Our cat's gotta try it sometime Sugar Cube," Plagg commented.</p><p>"Trial by fire often makes our guardian shine brightest," Longg stated evenly.</p><p>"No," Tikki insisted. "It's too dangerous. Mari's not human enough yet." </p><p>Mari watched them argue back and forth, minus Nooroo who sat quietly cupped in her hand. She had eight of the Kwamis with her today. Far more than usual, but so many had wanted to come on this trip to metropolis. If Trixx had been one of the Kwamis here, Mari might have risked helping as herself.</p><p>She raised the hand that wasn't cupping Nooroo; the Kwamis fell silent.</p><p>"Tikki, I know you are concerned, but you haven't asked Nooroo for his input yet. Nooroo is the one who this affects the most." She nodded to the Butterfly god. Nooroo gripped her finger tightly for support but looked determined.</p><p>"I want to help."</p><p>"But Nooroo, you know the risks!" Tikki was still steadfast in her refusal.</p><p>"I know, and I don't care. It's worth the risk for me," he replied. Mari could feel how hard this was for him; standing up for his own opinion even in the face of such strong opposition.</p><p>"Mari's not ready. She's not-"</p><p>"Human enough?" Plagg's voice cut through Tikki's argument firmly. This was no longer his <em>devil-may-care let's shake things up</em> tone. </p><p>"Tikki," Mari stated quietly and the Kwami took notice of her former holder and the emotions in the link between them, "I'll never be human again."</p><p>The resignation and painful truth of the statement echoed through every bond they shared. Tikki's resolve crumbled. </p><p>Plagg placed a paw on Tikki's tiny shoulder. He could feel it too.</p><p>"Sugar Cube, this is Mari and Nooroo's decision and for what it's worth, I think it's worth the risk." Tikki sighed and nodded her affirmation.</p><p>Mari and Nooroo shared a relieved smile.</p><p>"If you're sure Nooroo, then I'm willing to try." Mari nodded her willingness to defer to Nooroo's decision. Nooroo was nearly in tears. Even in this dangerous situation with people's lives on the line, Mari was willing to let Nooroo's decision be final.</p><p>"For the people," He said with a trusting smile.</p><p>"Okay." Mari stood. "Everyone, here's the plan..."</p><p>~-----~</p><p>Kon-El, or Conner Kent...Kent, he was still getting used to that one. Anyway, what was supposed to be a relaxing weekend of "brotherly bonding" turned into Conner being on crowd control with his half-brother? Half-son? Half...something, Jon trying to keep debris and falling buildings from crushing people. </p><p>A young man rushed up to him and he had to push the man back when a chunk of building crashed right nearby.</p><p>"I have to help!" the man cried. "I'm an EMT, I can help!"</p><p>"Get back!" Conner couldn't let this man into the fray, he'd get himself killed. He only noticed the golden butterfly right before it reached the man's paramedic bag. </p><p>The man suddenly had a glowing outline of a butterfly hovering on his face. Connor could only watch, stunned as the man smiled happily.</p><p>"It would be my honor, Pieridae," the man replied to something and suddenly the butterfly outline disappeared. Golden light overtook the the man. </p><p>A scream tore Connor's attention back to the situation at hand. He had people to save. He glanced over to find the man completely changed. His skin faintly glowed golden. From his bag, he pulled a caduceus staff. He turned a masked face to Conner.</p><p>"I am, The Healer. I will rescue and heal those caught in the crossfire of this battle," he announced loudly. </p><p>He was in the fray, blasting crumbling pieces of building away from civilians. A man, whose leg appeared to be broken, was the first The Healer touched with his staff. The man's leg set itself and the wound closed fully. The Healer helped him to his feet and the man fled with the woman who had been dragging him along before. </p><p>Conner couldn't question this man, that he himself had seen transform...well kind of. There wasn't time to turn away help. He returned to his previous work, hoping The Healer wasn't just a civie about to get himself killed. </p><p>Apparently Conner had nothing to worry about. The Healer was caught off guard by some rubble striking him from behind. The large chunk laid the man? Hero? Whatever- it laid him flat on the ground and should have kept him pinned.</p><p>Key word being should have. The Healer slowly lifted himself up far enough for the rubble to roll off of him with a considerable thud. He shook himself off and leaped back into the chaos, no injuries apparent.</p><p>~-----~</p><p>Pieridae felt anxiety worrying away at her meditation. Her hands itched to be doing something. She forced herself to watch through her champion's eyes for a moment more.</p><p>She allowed her glowing eyes to open and survey the situation below. She twirled a golden parasol slowly. Her white gloves stopped just above her elbow and ended in pale golden embroidery of swirling butterflies. </p><p>Mari as Pieridae, looked every bit some sort of immortal fae. Her dress ignored the actual stiff wind on the roof she stood upon and instead floated around her in it's own weightless manner. Her pale pale gold flats barely brushed the rooftop. She was weightless, rose-gold parasol in butterfly design resting lightly on her shoulder.</p><p>Pieridae could feel the power of her magic in combination with the butterfly miraculous. Upon her initial transformation she had needed a moment not to lose her sense of self to the powers guiding her. The miraculous had wanted her near, wanted to marge with her own soul. Mari had to slam a barrier between them, a metaphysical one. She had so much power...she could create at least two more champions other than The Healer in action below her, yet she held herself back. She feared that using this power further would draw her further into this power. </p><p>Tikki was right, Mari wasn't ready...</p><p>...but she had to be. If for nothing else, then the civilians of Metropolis. </p><p>This whole battle was so destructive, pointlessly so. From what she could tell, Superman let himself thrown around far too much. Not to mention how he caused so much property damage. Her anxiety had made her hyper aware of how much damage she caused back when she was Ladybug. Her eye for the damage had stuck around, even if most of the anxiety was still buried away in some box in her mind. </p><p>Her eye for damage was catching a lot...and these people didn't have the Miraculous Cure like she'd had back in Paris. </p><p>Mari was lucky that her parasol was unbreakable, because her grip was like iron on the handle. Once again the unbearable feeling of needing to help, overtook her. She drifted a bit closer to the edge of the rooftop. </p><p>She sighed in relief as Superman finally trapped the villain responsible for the huge fight. Her gaze was drawn back to the young men working hard on damage control. They were the ones related to Superman. </p><p>The elder appearing one was a clone, if she remembered her reading right. The younger was theorized to be Superman's actual son, but...She had hoped the most recent reports were incorrect. The other Superboy was supposed to be approximately 13, recent media had reported an age jump and indeed he now appeared to be 17.</p><p>Mari could relate as a 15 turned 20 year-old and she was relatively certain that the older Superboy had some sort of similar situation. Her magic could sense the discrepancy, though by how much, she was unsure.</p><p>Tikki tapped Mari's hand, bringing her out of her own head. The Kwami was correct. Pieridae's time had come to a close. She nodded to the tiny god to reaffirm her intentions. </p><p>~-----~ </p><p>Jon flew back to help Conner after the buildings stopped falling. He helped who he could along the way. There wasn't anything that the emergency crews couldn't handle now. </p><p>He found Conner following a strangely dressed man with a mask, who was happily zapping rubble and fixing people with stuff from his apparently magic bag? </p><p>"Kon," he murmured. "What's going on? Who is that guy?" </p><p>"That's...hard to explain." Conner never took his eyes off of The Healer. "He calls himself, The Healer."</p><p>"Huh." </p><p>The Healer drifted to a stop as the butterfly outline returned to his face. He turned and made his way over to the two heroes watching. Both boys tensed, ready for a possible fight, only to have The Healer smile gently at them.</p><p>"So...You're a new hero?" Jon spoke up first. He was just making his own guesses since Conner was watching silently.</p><p>"Oh no, I am a champion of Pieridae," The Healer informed them easily.</p><p>"Who is Pieridae," asked Conner.</p><p>"She is..." The butterfly outline appeared again and The Healer seemed to be listening to someone. It faded. "...Pieridae creates temporary champions to help where she cannot. She used our common desire to save people to create me. I will not remember being The Healer when she removes the blessing. This is her power."</p><p>"Can we meet Pieridae?" Jon's question was met by another flare of the butterfly outline on The Healer's face.</p><p>"Pieridae says, not today. She took a great risk to even help this much. My time is up. Thank you Pieridae, for allowing me to help and save so many people."</p><p>"Wait! Don't-" The Healer glowed and was left sitting in front of the two heroes as the golden butterfly flew off. </p><p>"Jon, follow that butterfly," Conner ordered. </p><p>Jon was off, easily keeping track of the golden creature. It flew as butterflies do, but straight to a woman in pale gold and white on a roof. </p><p>She closed her parasol and held it out for the butterfly to land upon. She covered it with her hand and then released it as a white butterfly to fly away. Her golden, pupil-less eyes fixed on Jon and she waved him over with her folded parasol.</p><p>"I see a curious cat came to figure me out," she said smiling with amusement.</p><p>"You are Pieridae?" He noticed more, upon closer observation. Her feet barely resting on the roof, the dress floating mysteriously, the way the butterflies flocked around her and reacted to her every change in emotion.</p><p>"Yes, like the butterfly class," she replied. "I'm only visiting for the day and I can't become a hero."</p><p>"Why?" </p><p>Pieridae laughed softly.</p><p>"Been there, done that. Besides, even this much was a bad idea. I'm a work in progress. Not stable enough power-wise to do this sort of thing." She smiled mysteriously at Jon's scrunched face of confusion. "Now, I am afraid that I will have to bid you adieu," She stated with a sweeping bow. </p><p>Before Jon could say anything more, butterflies swarmed across his vision. He turned to his x-ray vision only to spot a falling figure that dissolved. He rushed over the edge of the building, but the alley below was empty. Devoid of any living creatures.</p><p>He missed the flickering edge of a shadow as he passed on in hopes to find the mysterious woman.</p><p>~-----~</p><p>Mari waited a solid 15 minutes before she reformed from the shadows and indeed she was Mari once more. It had been a risk to drop the transformation mid-air, yet it was a risk she had been forced to take so as not to bind her soul further to Nooroo's. Tikki had insisted that using her own powers while wielding a miraculous was going to meld her soul to the miraculous. </p><p>The reason it hadn't done so with the Black Cat and Ladybug miraculous was in fact because Mari was already so melded. And it was because the powers were unlocked/given/unleashed, whatever you want to call it; the powers originated from those two miraculous. </p><p>Mari pulled a small bag from her pocket and offered it to a tired Nooroo. She could feel bits of her soul clinging to his miraculous and knew that she had tread on very very thin ice.</p><p>"Thank you, Nooroo. You were amazing," She complimented with a gentle smile. The Kwami blushed.</p><p>"It was all thanks to you Mari. You saved so many people."</p><p>"We, Nooroo...We saved so many people. I could never have done it without you," Mari insisted and she was completely telling the truth. She alone, would have never been able to save so many people. With the champion, she had specialized help. </p><p>Nooroo's lingering bond between their souls told him everything he needed to know. He wanted to tear up. Mari's intentions and feelings towards him were nothing but sincere. Nooroo felt he might be taking those steps forward towards healing and to be honest? He felt like he was ready.</p><p>~-----~</p><p>The debrief of Jon's encounter with this Pieridae was frustrating, for all sides involved. Conner sighed as Jon again said something that contradicted what he had previously said. It was the details, and Jon was normally pretty good at keeping details straight. </p><p>"I can't picture her the right way." </p><p>Conner looked up and met the eyes of his "sort of" brother.</p><p>"Like I-didn't-pay-attention-to-the-details not right or there-is-something-weird-going-on not right?"</p><p>"The second one. I made sure to pay attention but every time I think about it, the details are just slightly different. Plus, the way she disappeared. There's gotta be some sort of magic involved," Jon insisted.</p><p>"I believe you Jon. The way that civilian just became super-powered and then had it taken back was weird. He didn't remember any of it. We should call in one of the Bats on this. They're more likely to find information on Pieridae." Conner rubbed his temples debating who to call up and inform.</p><p>"What about asking Zatara and Zatana?" The question was valid. Talk to the magic people about magic, right?</p><p>"Fair enough. We can try them first," Conner agreed.</p><p>And so, they stood, surveying the damage and the people who either helped or went on their way. </p><p>A tall woman of Eurasian descent winked at Jon with a mischievous smile as she passed and he flushed bright, ducking his head and hurrying to catch up with Conner.</p><p>It wasn't until the end of the day that he found the slip of paper in his jeans pocket with <em>"You might want a better disguise than just glasses. Lucky Black Cat Custom Designs can help."</em> and a number neatly written on it.</p><p>Strangely enough, Conner and even Clark found a similar note on their person by the end of the day and none of them could quite remember the face of the woman who had interacted with them that day.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Canon is my sandbox. I do what I want.</p><p> </p><p>Y'all have no idea how much I miss my brotp interaction in this chapter. So for sure some Jason and Mari time next chapter because they are my Ultimate Brotp and no one can take that away from me.</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0005"><h2>5. A Demigod's Thoughts; A Vigilante's Friend</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Jason and Mari, my brotp...and some Brother meeting too I guess.</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>I changed my mind, I'm making everyone except Mari a year older. For reference: Dick-24, Jason-22, Tim-19, Damian-14, Conner-11/12(Still looks like he did in the YJ show), Jon-14/15 (18/19 due to age jump), and Mari still 15 (20 due to age jump). Yeppers, I don't think I've mentioned ages really in the fic so far but I'll go check at some point here.</p><p>(Also I have this huge picture in my head of each of the Batfam's personality so Canon Is My Sandbox, I Do What I Want)</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Mari sighed and stretched at the table in her apartment. Her report of her findings and the events of her time in Metropolis were meticulously written in the same language as the miraculous book. That was the handy thing about being part Kwami now. That's how Mari tried to think of it. It was less overwhelming than calling herself a demi-god.</p><p>Tikki's words from her metropolis trip resounded in her mind. Every little thing that strayed from the human norm reminded her sharply that she could never reattain her old humanity. It was easier to swallow that bitter fact when she knew that the events were out of her control. Also, the idea that there were other heroes, many either metas or fully alien, who weren't all too different from Mari eased some of her worst fears of ending up alone.</p><p>Mari flinched. A glance at the time reminded her. It was the side effect of using Nooroo's Miraculous. People were waking and preparing for their days. Emotions floated at her periphery an odd sensation that she almost wanted to call sight or touch, yet it was neither. The intangible sensation of human emotions was strange for Mari who was unused to such things.</p><p>She was assured that the effects would eventually fade. It had only taken 12 hours for her to be able to remove the butterfly miraculous, which she had assured Nooroo was in no way his fault. Mari had a feeling that this encounter wouldn't be the last time she would get caught up in similar situations. She needed a game plan, a way to help others without compromising her identity. </p><p>The spark of creativity flared up within Mari. Almost like the old days; and for once Mari was certain that she was up for the challenge.</p><p>~-----~</p><p>As much as Jason hated to admit it, he was nervous about this meeting. To be fair to the evidence collected so far, Mari was most likely in Gotham to help. Nothing in her actions indicated a life of crime being on her to-do list.</p><p>But Jason knew Gotham...</p><p>There was a reason that the big B-man didn't like to have metas in Gotham. However, the biggest concern in Jason's book was Mari's knowledge and power. If she knew who he was, she was dangerous. Jason highly suspected that she knew. This wasn't even mentioning the capability of renewing the ground and the life of an entire park. Said park was already blooming as though spring had made a second coming to Gotham; it hadn't unless Mari could be counted as a season.</p><p>The whole meet-up went without a hitch. Jason found himself enjoying all his time around Mari. Being around her had set all of his anxieties at ease. Neither mentioned anything beyond mundane interests. Mari's presence with Jason seemed to solidify her character for the street kids. Some had been pretty wary of her at first, but easily accepted her now.</p><p>There were moments, he realized, that Mari acted like a kid who was forced to grow up too fast. He wanted to re-estimate her age in those moments, but then it was gone and she seemed too mature. It was such a contrast in behavior that Jason took careful note of it. He did manage to refrain from actually asking Mari, but just barely. </p><p>He was beginning to wonder, from the behavior he had seen so far, if Mari was trying to build up some sort of friendship with him just as he was trying to do with her. Both had shared stories, carefully steering conversations away from landmines. When the other noticed this change in direction, they did not pry. Jason, because he understood trauma with the best of them. He had worked long and hard on his own trauma. He still was working on it and he fully appreciated when someone sensed this and chose to pass over the topic without comment.</p><p>To put it lightly, he adored Mari's company. It was never in any sort of romantic way. She felt like family. Mari reminded Jason of Alfred, the one person that Jason would never turn his back on no matter how angry he was with Bruce or anyone else in the brood of Batlings.</p><p>Okay, to be fair, things were going relatively smoothly between him and his "family" these days. Relative being a key word here. He was on speaking terms with everyone and nearly friendly with anyone whose name wasn't Bruce or Damian.</p><p>And so, the weeks went by.</p><p>Mari had wormed her way right around all of Jason's prickly, spiked walls that kept people at bay and straight into his big soft heart. </p><p>Okay, in reality Mari had seemed so terribly desperate for any form of human connection, that Jason couldn't bring himself to refuse her.</p><p>Besides, being her friend definitely had some perks.</p><p>Her dessert delights were the most heavenly thing that Jason had ever tasted - sorry Alfred - and she kept giving him clothing. Before she had finally saved up enough to buy a sewing machine, it was anything she could complete with her hands. After, she began redesigning his entire wardrobe. </p><p>It wasn't instantaneous. Mari certainly didn't have enough money for that, but a war of sorts was waged. Mari gave Jason some piece of clothing, Jason then buying Mari material to compensate, Mari insisting it was too much for her work and gifting Jason things made from the material,  and so the cycle repeats. </p><p>Clothing eventually became a regular distribution to the street kids. Mari's services were completely free to them and the kids made sure to spread the word of the sunglasses lady in apartment 303 that gave clothing, fixed clothing, and stuffed the kids with warm pastry delights before letting them go on their way.</p><p>Jason found her one day, being stopped by a kid on a street corner. The kid held up a torn shirt sleeve and Mari whipped out a travel sewing kit to fix the shirt on the spot before placing a macaron in the young teen's hand and ruffling their hair. </p><p>The conclusion Jason inevitably reached, was that Mari was simply a kind and vibrant soul. It was something extremely rare to find in Gotham and the few that existed, were quickly stomped out. They either died or became jaded in this unforgiving city.</p><p>Her powers...he would need to ask her at some point. Her lifestyle indicated she was on the run from something, but her behavior was steadfast as though she were firmly rooted to this city already. And while Jason wanted answers, it would not be worth the cost of losing his newfound friendship with this enigma of a woman. </p><p>~-----~</p><p>The last few months had been filled with endless work to do. Mari stayed out of the nightlife and fighting crime. It helped that she replaced it with her tireless work with the street kids. She knew many were out on the streets because the system had failed them. Mari never asked for anything but word on the street from them. Jason's habit of gifting Mari mass amounts of materials came in handy as most of her work for the kids cost her nothing but her own time. Time was something she always wanted to give freely to those who needed it. She still barely needed sleep and could go even longer given enough coffee.</p><p>Her time was also taken up by her decision to create LBC Custom Designs, a commission based store that would cater to some <em>very</em> specific clientele. It was to the point where she could tell Jason. Now that was her only remaining step, to get Jason to help her launch.</p><p>Informing Jason of this would likely be her biggest hurdle. She'd had her practice as MDC, a name she could no longer claim. LBC replaced her initials in all of her designs. Mari was building LBC Custom Designs to design for heroes. Not just civilian clothing, but hopefully suit redesigns and repairs.</p><p>Jason knew she had abilities and she knew that he was the vigilante, Red Hood. He might assume Mari would hold his identity as blackmail. She wanted to tell him...something to even the score. She considered him a friend and it didn't feel fair to know something so dangerous while withholding her own many secrets. It didn't mean she would tell him everything, but she decided that they would have to strike a middle ground somewhere.</p><p>Mari frowned at the box of high quality fabrics sitting outside her door. She might have to suffocate that man with clothing before she asked for his help. </p><p>Huffing, Mari moved the box inside, dumped the fabric on her couch to sort later and began piling her newest creations -that just so happened to be men's clothing in Jason's size- into the box. She was determined to hold out longer than Jason. Certainly he would run out of closet space at some point. Meanwhile, her fountain of creativity would be thoroughly exercised. That thought caused a smug smile and suddenly Mari wasn't so annoyed at Jason's fabric gifting.</p><p>~</p><p>Mari shifted the box in her arms to one hip and knocked sharply on the door. Mari readied her newest taunt. She grinned mischievously as the door began to open.</p><p>"You know you won't win this war, Jason. You'll run out of closet space long before I ever run out of creativ-" Mari's tongue caught and she took a startled half step back.</p><p>At the door, was not Jason but a man who did not drip with the taint of corrupted healing magic. He was smaller, more lithe than Jason but older and very muscular as well. </p><p>Mari's mouth formed a silent oh as she stared at the foreign man.</p><p>"You are...?" </p><p>His curious voice broke Mari's shock</p><p>"I apologize, sir. I must have knocked on the wrong door. I'll just be goi-"</p><p>"No, no. If you're looking for Jason, he's here. I'm his brother, Richard, but please just call me Dick. All my friends do." Richard, sorry, Dick held out his hand and Mari shook it politely. "You must be a friend of Jason's then?"</p><p>Dick waved Mari in before she could answer. She was careful to keep him in her line of sight as she passed.</p><p>"Yes, I consider Jason a good friend. I'm Mari Fu. Jason helped me befriend the local kids," Mari replied gently. She crossed the room in one fluid motion and set her box of clothes on Jason's table, brushing bullets aside casually.</p><p>Jason's explanation had been that he was a fan and liked to go to shooting ranges. Not to mention home protection. Mari of course, didn't buy it for a second but they both pretended that his explanation was suitable.</p><p>"Sorry to be nosy..." He didn't look sorry in the least. "...but what is this war you have with Jason and why does it involve a box of clothing?"</p><p>Mari's lips twitched into a small, satisfied smirk.</p><p>"Well, it's a bit of a long story but to summarize, Jason insists on overpaying me every time I decide one of his outfits is subpar and give him something to rectify the matter. However, since he overpays me in fabric, he simply gets more clothing. Thus beginning the cycle again." Mari splayed her hands, oozing confidence, "It doesn't matter since I'll win in the end. As I was saying at the door. He'll run out of closet space long before I ever run out of creativity."</p><p>Dick peered into the box and pulled out a shirt to examine closer.</p><p>"Does that mean you make these?"</p><p>Mari snorted, "Of course. I don't have the money to buy him such high quality clothing." Mari watched his brows raise at her confidence. She only raised a singular brow back, as if daring him to challenge her statement. He found his attention back on the shirt in his hands and he nodded appreciatively.</p><p>"It is indeed very high quality. What are you doing here?"</p><p>Mari caught Dick's discerning gaze. He was good at hiding it behind casual curiosity, but not good enough to slip it by Mari. Her connection to Nooroo was still affecting her. This bit likely would never leave her; the ability to read the underlying emotions/intentions.</p><p>"Winning my war, but I assume you mean to ask why I am in Gotham and not why I am at Jason's. I don't make it a habit to lie to people so, the simple answer is that I'm here for a clean slate. I don't know how much Jason has told you, but this is all that I am comfortable sharing," Mari stated. Her unseen gaze was piercing, as though she saw through his intentions. </p><p>Dick found himself mildly confused by her last line. Maybe she assumed that he and Jason were close and shared their personal lives with each other on a regular basis. </p><p>He had just opened his mouth to ask about her sunglasses when Jason walked out of his room and blinked in surprise.</p><p>"Mari? Why are you here?"</p><p>"Oh you know exactly why I'm here, Jason Peter Todd," Mari scolded, hands on hips. "You didn't expect me to lay down quietly after you directly disrespected my wishes for you to defer your delivery till next week."</p><p>Dick was snorting off to the side, mildly glad that he wasn't in between these two and whatever war they had waged. Meanwhile, Jason's gaze found the box of clothing and the shirt in Dick's hand.</p><p>He groaned.</p><p>"How in seven hells do you sew so fast Mari? Do you ever sleep?" </p><p>Mari crossed her arms defiantly in response to Jason's questions.</p><p>"It's a thing called practice, Jason, something you should understand quite well," Mari snarked. "And I sleep enough."</p><p>Dick's chortling turned into a full on laughing fit. Both Jason and Mari turned a glare on Dick, the latter's glare hidden but no less deadly. Both crossed their arms, which only sent Dick into a further fit of laughter due to how very in sync the gesture was.</p><p>"How on Earth did you two ever meet?" Dick finally managed to ask as his laughing fit subsided.</p><p>They spoke at the same time.</p><p>"I walked into the bakery""He stalked me for giving bread to kids"</p><p>"Wait what?" Jason turned wide-eyed to face Mari. "How could you tell I wa-"</p><p>"Merde..." Mari breathed at realization of her own slip. She sighed, supposing it was better to get this over with now. Brother around or not. She highly doubted that Jason kept his nightly activities from Dick and based on Dick's own physicality, it seemed likely that Dick was one of the other vigilantes running around Gotham.</p><p>Dick kept glancing between the two, now confused. He watched Jason's stance change into a defensive one and mirrored the action. The dynamic here had changed drastically, and Dick suspected he was about to find out why.</p><p>"I'm not a meta," were Mari's next words. She glanced between them, but didn't set herself into a defensive stance. She gestured to the living room space, "I think we should all sit down. This was not how I planned to explain things to you Jason, but you do deserve an explanation."</p><p>Jason was silent a moment and Dick remained alert and ready to follow Jason's lead. He finally nodded and relaxed his stance. Dick blinked, confused again. What on Earth was he missing in all of this?</p><p>"Do I get an explanation as well?" Dick asked, more to Jason than Mari. She sent a look Jason's way that seemed to say, <em>you didn't tell him?<br/>
</em></p><p>There was an awkward span of time where they settled into their respective seats.</p><p>"So..." Jason prompted.</p><p>Mari sighed; this was going to be a long conversation.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>I originally was going to go in depth on their day together originally, however I couldn't hit my writing groove and so we get the fast forward. I need things to happen and with how Mari is, she's not going to take action in such short amounts of time.</p><p>Yeah so sorry for the slight cliff hanger, but the conversation was not wrapping up as quick as I hoped, so I cut it.<br/>Downside: Not as long chapter now, plus mild cliff hanger<br/>Upside: I'm already like up 500 words for next chap and it's a rolling along well.</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0006"><h2>6. Revealing Secrets: Just not all of them hopefully</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Convo stuff: short chap</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>It’s gonna be a short chap due to my sitch. Explanation at end of chapter.</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>"Right," Mari said, pursing her lips as she decided where to start.She decided and nodded to herself. Mari removed her glasses and set themon the coffee table between her and the two men. They watched her eyesshift from watery blue to something between blue and purple. Dickstartled when her braid flicked into view momentarily. She pulled thebraid over her shoulder and stilled it with a careful hand. She watchedtheir reactions carefully and as she let herself read the intentions andemotions, her eyes shifted to a light violet color.</p><p> </p><p>"Like I said before, I'm not a meta. My..." she searched for the word, "...condition, is entirely caused by ancient magic. I crossed aline I wasn't supposed to, and that probably should have killed me,"Mari mused. "The point is, I had to wipe the slate clean and hide awaysomewhere that I would mostly fit in until I can fully control thismess. It's like...magical side effects." Mari let out a soft laugh ather last line.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>Dick's accompanying chuckle earned him a look from Jason and he held up his hands in mock surrender.</p><p> </p><p>"Why Gotham?" Gotham was no sane place for anyone to choose, so Jason's question was valid.</p><p> </p><p>"Ah...well it seems I am to balance the scales here, so-to-speak. Bring creation and life into Gotham," Mari admitted.</p><p> </p><p>"What are these abilities that you have?" Dick asked carefully.</p><p> </p><p>"And how the H-E-double hockey sticks did you revive that park?" Dick blinked and turned to Jason, surprised.</p><p> </p><p>"You mean that one Tim was freaking out over?"</p><p> </p><p>"Pleasedo apologize to...Tim for me. I didn't mean to scare him like that," Maricut in. "The balance between order and chaos is what my abilities arerooted in. The rest of the side effects are smaller things. I can travelvia shadow, and it seems I can reduce gravity's effects on me. I can'tfly, but it certainly makes any falls less deadly. And the most recentaddition to my arsenal allows me to sense some emotions and/orintentions..." Mari trailed off before blinking, her pupils became slitand irises a bright-bright green. "Oh yeah also, my hair floats and myeyes change color if I don't focus."</p><p> </p><p>"And you're sure that you aren't some sort of meta?" Dick asked carefully.</p><p> </p><p>Mari frowned.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>"Yes,I am sure. I am part..." she searched for a suitable word and frowned,biting her lip as she remembered the only one that she could come upwith from a few months ago. She sighed. "I don't want to admit it, butthe simple truth of it is that I have become part god. I didn't mean to,but events left me little choice. I was a kid, bone-tired after fighting for years. I just wanted it over with and... yeah I knew there would be consequences, but from the moment my master left me alone to take on all his responsibilities, I knew I would never have a normal life." Mari snorted derisively. "I was fourteen. Doomed to secrecy and lying to friends and family for the rest of my life. Granted, circumstances made it such that he had to relinquish his position, but I was fourteen damn it!"</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>Mari took a breath and calmed her anger. She hadn't meant to reveal quite that much. Obviously her old rambling habits were beginning to return. She sighed and murmured, "more human than I thought."</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>It was then she looked up enough to notice Jason, red and shaking with fists clenched tight at his side. Dick watched her with concern. She let her lips quirk up into a small fleeting smile.</p><p> </p><p>"I'm making the best of my choice. I want to help people the best I can. I want to help you, Jason," Mari said as she casually ran a finger across the silver ring on her left hand. "You're like the brother I never had..." she trailed off, seeming younger than her physical age. Which of course she was, but that lovely piece of information was not one Mari was willing to relinquish quite yet.</p><p> </p><p>Dick's snort of laughter broke the seriousness of the moment. Mari blinked, puzzled as Jason rubbed his face with his hands and sighed deeply. Mari vaguely heard a muttered, "not another one. No more, please..."</p><p> </p><p>"Say...did your eyes happen to originally be blue?" Dick's question was oddly casual and his amusement was barely contained behind the straight faced facade.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>Mari eyed him, "yes...They were..."</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>Dick only started laughing harder, unable to explain. Jason gave him a solid whack but it only led Dick to roll out of reach and continue his laughing spree. Jason muttered darkly and Mari only caught the tail end of the threat of dosing Dick with Joker gas antidote.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>"Ignore him," Jason growled and then a scowl settled firmly on his features, "and don't let him introduce you to anyone. It's bad enough you've met three of us. If B catches wind of..." Jason groaned with absolute exhaustion at the thought.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>Mari eyed him quizzically and Jason answered her unspoken questions.</p><p> </p><p>"There's a running joke in my family that our adoptive father will try to adopt any dark hair and blue eyed kid he meets. Though at this point it's more truth than joke. And you might think you are safe because you're an adult, but they'll find a way to drag you in," he warned. "Not even dying could get me out."</p><p> </p><p>Mari jolted in her seat.</p><p> </p><p>"That's right," Mari burst out suddenly. "Plagg said you had cheated death and that's why you have all this corrupted creation magic clinging to you."</p><p> </p><p>The room was suddenly deathly silent. Both dark haired men's eyes were glued to Mari, their gazes calculating. Mari shifted uncomfortably under their stares and ran her finger over her silver ring again, her foot tapping anxiously.</p><p> </p><p>"I-uhm consulted one of the gods...Plagg. He knows destruction, chaos, corruption...all those things. He told me the corruption clinging to you was from something that was used to cheat death, though he couldn't give me specifics," Mari rambled trying to get her nerves under control without giving out more information than she intended.</p><p> </p><p>"I've never heard of this Plague guy," Jason said carefully.</p><p> </p><p>Mari nodded, "I'm not surprised. The magic involved does that. It allows these gods to fade into the unknown shadows of history wherever they appear. They only appear in extreme circumstances. But back to my point. Plagg said I can help you. Bring your body back into balance."</p><p> </p><p>The silence again. A screaming instinct told Mari that Dick was also in the vigilante business. These two were just too calculating, too fit, and too good at the mask of normalcy. It certainly helped that Mari knew the exact social mask they both used, having used one herself for years.</p><p> </p><p>"You can help him?"</p><p> </p><p>"Yeah, that's why I initially tried to become friends," Mari admitted. "He's throwing off the balance of Gotham just as much as everything else."</p><p> </p><p>"The anger..."</p><p> </p><p>"Anything caused be the corrupted life magic, Jason. I want to help you. Not just for the balance but because you are my friend."</p><p> </p><p>Jason sucked in a breath and Mari held hers with him. He glanced around the room, to Dick, the various stashes of guns and ammo around the house, to Mari, and finally to his hands clasped in his lap. His breath released in a long slow rush.</p><p> </p><p>"Okay."</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Sooooo~<br/>I am hella stressed. I just moved and started living with my dog who requires a lot of maintenance since he is a high energy dog and I’m in a city. Plus he’s used to being a farm dog. So it’s been an adjustment period.<br/>Also with the move I am trying to find a job in a state STILL in friggin lockdown (there are literally no new cases in my area it’s just because the governor is making a power move and the west side of the state still has cases). Combine that with my Star Trek binge and having an xbox one to play games on now and story stuff kinda fell to the side. </p><p>Imma try to get on this and keep working on stuff but possible hiatus. I’m still unpacking stuff even half a month after moving. Haha...<br/>Any who I’m just taking care of myself as best I can and y’all Should do the same. I hope this tides ya over for now. I tried to set myself up in a good place to start up from for next chapter. </p><p>Take this chance. </p><p>Drink some water.</p><p>Rest your eyes for a sec.</p><p>Love y’all and thank you for your support. 💜</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0007"><h2>7. Empathy: It Means You'll Give Blood Till There's None Left to Bleed</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Gotta take care of our boi Jason. Mari is too self-sacrificing. Some other things happen too.</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>I'm so tired...</p><p>This chapter is took me so long to write so it's prolly pretty piece-meal. I try to at least keep from contradicting myself from prev chaps so let me know if you spot anything. I'll either explain how I quantified it or fix it depending on what it is.</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>"Tikki... Plagg, Are you ready?"</p><p>Jason turned to look, but the Kwamis had dashed out of sight behind Mari. Once his gaze returned forward, they each nodded an affirmation. Dick had been sent out of the room mere moments ago and the door firmly shut. Luckily any cameras potentially hidden in the room would not catch Kwamis on camera. The vigilantes would simply have to assume that she saw things they couldn't. </p><p>"And you Jason?"</p><p>He shifted, clearly not entirely trusting of the situation. </p><p>"Yeah," he answered as casually as he could manage. </p><p>Mari stood behind Jason's chair, a hand on each of the man's shoulders. She let chaos and destruction flood her being as she synced the balance of her soul to the same wavelength as his. </p><p>Here came the tricky part. She had to merge her soul with his without melding them together. Mari assessed the boundaries between souls and slowly allowed energies to flow between them. It was harsh, the chaos and destruction energies felt like lightning in their veins. Electric, scorching but it was not quite to the point of causing pain. Mari began easing her destruction energies down a notch. She had to tug at Jason's soul and cajole it into following suit.</p><p>That was the only moment that she felt the boundaries merging. and she quickly separated her own soul firmly. It was far easier to manage than keeping her soul from merging with Kwamis. </p><p>That part was intriguing, but not wholly surprising. It was simply a slap in the face with the truth. Mari was farther away from human than she was from Kwami. There was definitely a sting to that truth, however it was not something Mari could address at the moment. She flicked away the thought telling her to merge her soul with Jason's. That it would make her human. Without even entertaining the idea she knew doing such a thing would make her less human, not more. It would make her a magical entity using human souls to emulate humanity. </p><p>The shifting tug of the corrupted life magic brought Mari back as this darkness fought her evening influence. Edging her own chaos energy back up to match it, she eased it down and pulled away more and more of the corruption. </p><p>Her attention was not something she could afford to have waver much from the task at hand. She was dimly aware of her surroundings, she had to focus or she risked the backlash on both her and Jason. Not to mention the potential melding of souls. Mari might survive, but Jason could be driven insane, mind broken beyond repair. </p><p>Her connection nearly snapped, when Wayzz tapped into her power to activate Shelter around her and Jason. </p><p>A peaking glance to the side revealed a young teen striking with a katana against the barrier. Dick attempting to restrain the young man was not something Mari had time to appreciate as it became necessary that she throw herself back into the work of pulling Jason's soul into balance. She murmured a prayer-like thanks to Wayzz.</p><p>Jason's body twitched as Mari coaxed the last of the corrupted chaos out of his soul faster. Relegating the chaos across her soul's boundary to Plagg was a simple matter. Though she felt it meld his soul further with hers, she pressed on. Pulling on Tikki's power, Mari pushed her own soul back into balance and quickly adjusted Jason's with it only remaining in contact with his soul long enough to make it stick. </p><p>Mari pulled her hands away sharply, they radiated godly energies. In the one hand, Creation; the other, Destruction. She was shaking as she backed into Wayzz's Shelter wall and slid down it.</p><p>"Plagg...Tikki..." she murmured, "...I'm sorry."</p><p>Walls fell from within and the Miraculous burned hot on her skin. Flesh melted around earrings and ring. </p><p>Mari panted, having run a magic marathon. Her soul cooled and it was no longer simply one soul. No closed boundary separated her from Tikki and Plagg. Their thoughts and emotions stirred with hers into a soup of confusion.</p><p>Mari glanced up to see Jason and Dick watching her in concern and the young teen eyeing her warily. His katana was sheathed, but his hand rested on it, ready to draw.</p><p>"Sorry," Mari began with a weak smile, "that last bit wasn't supposed to happen, but you are balanced now." </p><p>Mari swallowed hard at her own words. Balance...That word was quickly becoming what defined her. Was losing humanity a worthwhile sacrifice for this, this...'word'?</p><p>"What happened? At the end, that is," Dick questioned. Mari met his gaze evenly, not knowing that her eyes were split, one green cat god eye and shimmering purple goddess eye. Ancient wisdom resided in the depths of those shimmering different colored eyes.</p><p>"I rushed the last bit, but the consequences will only affect me. Jason, you are free of outside influence and your soul is balanced," Mari informed them easily.</p><p>"What consequences?" Jason's question was gentle but firm.</p><p>Mari couldn't bring herself to meet his gaze.</p><p>"Nothing that harms me, don't worry."</p><p>"Mari..."</p><p>She sighed, "Rushing pulled too much chaos energy in for me to balance out on my own," Mari reached for the ring only to find it peaking from flesh. Her motion drew both Jason and Dick's attention to it.</p><p>"That ring...it wasn't like that before," Dick commented.</p><p>"No...it wasn't," Mari confirmed. "I'm a little less human now. That's what it means. I don't know what will happen if I completely absorb them." </p><p>It was a lie. She knew exactly what would happen, but Mari couldn't bring herself to voice it aloud. As if that would somehow make it real. The knowledge and thoughts of Tikki and Plagg told her everything she needed to know about a lot of things. </p><p>Mari wiped the itch at her nose and found on her hand a gold liquid with streaks of red mixed in.</p><p>Blood...</p><p>Ichor of a god.</p><p>Mari's voice, a whisper, trembled, "I'm swallowing them...absorbing them into myself."</p><p>And this time, she wasn't referring to the jewelry.</p><p>~-----~</p><p>"I can't help you."</p><p>"Isn't there at least someone you can ask abou-"</p><p>"No. This is too old, too temperamental. No one is stupid enough to mess with that," Zatanna insisted, crossing her arms firmly.</p><p>"There has to be something more you can tell us," Conner pleaded. </p><p>The two of them stood by the side of the interstate several miles from where Zatanna had tracked the residual magic to.</p><p>Gotham.</p><p>"Only that anyone with magic who attempts to mess with this will be cursed to a fate of ruin. The forces here are older and more powerful than anything you'll ever see." Zatanna jolted suddenly and her gaze snapped to the distant Gotham skyline. "Gotham is being shaped and re-formed before our very eyes. We are witness to incredible power. Power that hasn't been seen in lifetimes."</p><p>Conner could sense her unease and knew that this was as far as she or any other magic user would help him. Admittedly it was better than nothing. He had the city of origin for the strange magic user. It seemed that he would end up calling in the Bats on this anyway. It now concerned their city as well. His own gaze drifted to the perpetually smog ridden city. </p><p>Oddly enough, it seemed a little brighter than he remembered. Or, at the very least, less oppressive. </p><p>~-----~</p><p>The next few hours were a blur for Mari. The Kwamis informed her that she had pretty well stopped answering the vigilantes' questions and that said vigilantes had treated her like a shock patient. Weighted blankets, warm tea in hand, a dog half in her lap.</p><p>A thousand and one questions stirred behind their eyes as Mari came to. To their credit, they didn't immediately start interrogating her for answers.</p><p>"Do you feel up to answering more questions?" </p><p>Mari blinked slowly at Dick, who had asked with a gentleness that reminded Mari of Luka.</p><p>"I don't want to consume them. They're living beings just like you or me."</p><p>"Consume who?"</p><p>"Tikki and Plagg." Mari's thoughts swirling with theirs made her fully aware of how the two Kwamis felt about this possibility.</p><p>"Your gods?" Dick questioned. Something in the way she sat made her seem unnatural. The blankets and tea didn't look quite right on her. He didn't think she could pass for human in anything more than a fleeting encounter.</p><p>Mari nodded and gazed at her hand with the ring embedded in skin. Dick briefly wondered, if given a knife, would she cut off her finger? He wasn't about to find out.</p><p>"If you tell us what is happening, we might be able to help," Dick encouraged but Mari shook her head.</p><p>"You can't. I am-they-no the magic is too old. Sorry it's hard separating what is me and what is them. Everything's jumbled together. I need normalcy to sort everything out. I came..." Mari paused. What was it she came to do again? Both Kwamis' thoughts slammed into her own like a freight train. Mari groaned and reached for her pocket for the business card that had been the visual thought to body slam her brain. "...business. Jason, would you like to be my first client?"</p><p>Jason reached for the proffered card in silence, only his gaze betraying his concern for the groan.</p><p>"Lucky Black Cat Custom Designs?" His gaze flicked to Mari as he read aloud.</p><p>"Yeah, civilian clothes, protective suits, disguises in case of emergency, that sort of thing." The knowledge was her own, and that fact helped ground Mari as she desperately tried to pull up some form of boundary between her soul and the Kwami's. </p><p>The flicker of pity that echoed through the combined souls, was what stopped Mari.</p><p>"Mari being connected to our world is dangerous. You ca-"</p><p>"I don't even know if I can die Jason. Besides, it's not the first time I've had to deal in vigilante justice. This time it will be by choice and I'm not going all in. I have enough power to protect myself, but not enough control to be front line. I want to help in my own way," Mari said firmly after cutting Jason off.</p><p>"We don't need someone like you," Damian sneered derisively.</p><p>"No you don't," Mari agreed. "But having me is useful. I'm Mari Fu, and you are..."</p><p>Damian scoffed with his arms crossed, but didn't shrug off the arm that Dick moved around his shoulders.</p><p>"Our brother, Damian."</p><p>"Oh, just tell her everything Grayson," Damian remarked scathingly. "Why don't you guide her to the Batcave and give her all your passwords while you're at it."</p><p>"I'd be able to pick you out in a crowd. Your soul also has remnants of the corrupted life magic. All it would take is one day, where I happen upon you while someone uses your name and I'd know anyways." Mari crossed her arms, "besides, I already know your brother's names. It would only be a matter of time before your name slips out too." A heavy sigh left Mari, taking her emotion with it. "It doesn't matter. Ultimately I'm here to tip the balance back to equal. My lingering human desires aren't important."</p><p>"You can design stuff for me," Jason grumbled and ruffled Mari's hair.</p><p>The picture she made, disorientation at the very human feeling with her hair now ruffled, her eyes blinking slowly, she seemed like just a kid. Albeit an oddly inhuman kid. Her gaze shifted to the side guiltily. </p><p>"Thank you, Jason. It helps..." Her smile was weak. They didn't know...There was so much they didn't know.</p><p> </p><p>She wrapped up those feelings tightly and managed to convince them that she was okay enough to go home. Dick insisted on driving her, but otherwise she escaped further scrutiny. </p><p>Jason found some form of peace for the first time in a long time. It didn't make his issues with his family go away or anything, but he could think about it all more clearly now. No blinding rage to white out logic. It was a strange feeling, but something he treasured. Mari had thrown away another piece of her humanity for him. He understood that much. The fact that before her eyes had changed at a moments notice before and now they remained solidly inhuman. Both glowing, but in different colors with a deeply unsettling ancient depth to them. Those eyes seemed to demand eye contact and so he had a lot of time to observe them. </p><p>Jason made a promise to himself, to help Mari in any way he could. He knew her now. One of those people to give until they had nothing left of themselves. She was as much his family as his own siblings, if not more so. </p><p>Jason knew he was about to be in way over his head and somehow he wasn't worried.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Another short Chap, but I still don't have a job and might be going into full quarantine. I had to have my mom take my doggo today bc my roomie is quarantined and if he gets the big CV then I'm almost guaranteed to get it bc I have severe asthma.<br/>Haha...<br/>I'm still determined to finish this out tho. So imma keep working however fast or slow it takes. <br/>(Doesn't help that I literally started another miraculous x dc fic XD But that one is gonna be a one-shot so Imma wait to post it until I finish it) Working on anything MLB related helps keep me goin on this tho bc it keeps me in the right mind frame.<br/>I love your comments guys! They've really helped me remember to keep my goal in mind and get back to working on this.</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0008"><h2>8. A Game of Chance: Inevitable Things Are Inevitable</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Miraculous Magic reaching its limits as investigations are about to collide. Dick being a nosy lil shit and my brotp having some nice time. <br/>POOR TIM I'M SO SORRY MY DEAR SON. YOU SUFFER BECAUSE I SUFFER. IT IS THE CURSE OF BEING SO ALIKE. (i say this as i post this new chapter at 5 am)</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Chapter Title?<br/>Nonsense<br/>Chapter Content?<br/>Unedited<br/>Hotel?<br/>Trivago</p><p>There was going to be all this running around but my brotp won out on me.<br/>Also...Jason being a big brother is giving me so SO much joy. Y'all don't even know.</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Mari spent the next few weeks studying the book of the Miraculous furiously. Between that and meditating, her design projects were going rather slowly. It was hard work. </p><p>Was she too far gone?</p><p>Mari couldn't accept that. She finally found a way to preserve Tikki and Plagg as separate entities. They would have spent long hours arguing, but with how far they were merged, information flowed freely and without control. The risk would be far greater to Mari than it would be for Tikki and Plagg. Neither of them liked that aspect but the part of them that was Mari held stubborn.</p><p>She had to build soul barriers from scratch. Firstly she had to build them for Tikki and Plagg. This left her own soul open and snatching onto any available soul. A short stint of accidentally melding onto Nooroo taught Mari to remain aware at all times.</p><p>Needless to say, her sleep suffered for it. It consisted more often of careful meditations and a lot of caffeine. It was a haphazard mess of self-care and self-neglect. The Kwamis were concerned. Jason was concerned. Even her boss, Mason dropped by with some bread to make sure she was eating properly. </p><p>It was nearing the third week that Mari finally finished a fragile boundary around her own soul. The Kwamis' soul boundaries had to be so carefully structured as not to hinder their ability to connect with future holders. Her own soul boundary could be refined at a later time. Her current solution allowed her a real night's rest; aka: approximately 20 hours passed out in bed. </p><p>Mari could now study her own new abilities properly, just how much farther from Human that she had become. </p><p>Funnily enough, with more power, she had more control. Or perhaps the control came from the soul separating. She had spent so much time in her own mind and aura that she had honed her control. It was scary, how easily she could pass for human now. Though people seemed to sense there was something off. Mari guessed it was her eyes. They always got a strange look when they made eye contact. </p><p>It was the heaps of ancient information sifting through her mind. That wasn't something that Tikki and Plagg could take back. Just like they could not restore her humanity.</p><p>A small voice whispered in her mind that combining them once more could grant Mari her wish. She crushed that voice, knowing it made false promises. No wish would be worth the price and while Mari did not value her humanity in the face of helping others, she still knew the Miraculous powers would make the cost too high for her to ever be fulfilled, making such a wish.</p><p>Mari returned to her work and her designing in an almost fevered pitch. It gave her the space of mind to decide her next move in balancing Gotham. The urge to ease the scales was an itch she couldn't scratch. It lingered in the back of her mind and tugged at her focus. </p><p>Yet Mari couldn't be reckless here. The Kwamis insisted she think carefully for her own well being, but Mari couldn't make that alone the reason for caution. To be fair, she was trying to list that on the board of considerations even if she couldn't yet make it her main motivator. Tikki and Plagg took that spot. She didn't want to risk melding with them again. Now that the abilities she possessed came more from herself than her connection to the Miraculous, she would be able to balance things with less risk. The drawback of course, was that she couldn't do as much when she didn't draw on the Kwamis. Still, until she had a better hold on her own soul, Mari was determined to take things at a slower pace.</p><p>~-----~</p><p>Jason chafed under the waiting game he was playing with Tim. As their best information handler, he was called upon by many friends and family. Not to mention actual missions that he was dragged on. Jason sometimes wondered if his brother ever slept.</p><p>Not today though. Today he found Tim passed out at his desk, a half-full cup of cold coffee clutched in his pale grasp. Tim also looked like he hadn't eaten for several days, which was probably not far off the mark, knowing his track record. Everyone took him for granted because he never refused to help find information. Jason admitted that he was guilty of that at times as well. </p><p>It was odd, even with how busy Tim was, he couldn't get the information to Jason. Jason had woken up to several frantic calls about how it all disappeared. All the information he gathered, right when he was on the brink of putting it all together, something would happen. Tim swore up and down that there was something interfering. It wasn't happening with anything else. Jason would have considered it coincidence except it only affected the information regarding Mari Fu. Once was coincidence, three times was a pattern. </p><p>Tim felt too light, Jason thought as he moved his brother to the nearby bed; he had Tim and his nesting tendencies to thank for that. His brother must be under too much stress. Jason ordered some delivery from a nearby restaurant, a sandwich place. Tim would have no excuse not to eat. </p><p>Jason found a notepad at the desk that had 'Mari Fu' written at the top, a huge ink stain blocking out a good portion of what was written below and at the bottom, scribbled in angry lettering, the word 'Magic', which was then scratched out with harsh lines. The only other part not covered by the expansive ink stain said 'not 20?' and Jason wasn't sure exactly what to make of that. If it did in fact refer to her age, did it mean she was older or younger? It might be time for Jason to pay her a visit. He needed to thank her anyways. Not to mention that she had messaged him to say she was almost done with some prototype stuff for him to try. She had been very cryptic about the nature of whatever she had made for him.</p><p>Jason took one last glance at the unconscious Tim before writing on a sticky note and sticking it to Tim's forehead. Then placing more on all on Tim's most used items. They all said the same thing,</p><p>'Eat Something'</p><p>Satisfied with the ten on Tim's desk and another three on his suit, Jason ruffled Tim's hair and left out the window.</p><p>He came face to face with Conner, who was planning to enter through said window. The two crime fighters froze face to face.</p><p>"He's asleep," Jason informed.</p><p>"Oh, I'll just leave the stuff I need him to look into then," Conner replied.</p><p>"Can you send it to me?"</p><p>Conner carefully studied Jason. The other man was typically abrasive and grouchy at best.</p><p>"Why?"</p><p>Jason shifted from foot to foot, "He's overworked and it's probably my fault..."</p><p>Conner didn't reply and kept his stern gaze even on Jason.</p><p>Rubbing the back of his neck Jason continued, "The effects of the Lazarus pit are gone. All that anger..." he turned his gaze to his hands before flicking it back up to meet Conner's stare. "...it's all gone."</p><p>"Gone? Gone how?" Conner's question was valid if not a little too personal. He and Jason weren't close.</p><p>"Magic," Jason commented warily.</p><p>"I am looking for the person responsible. We had an incident in Metropolis a little while back. Zatanna tracked the magic back to Gotham. The other magic users won't come near this though. What do you know?"</p><p>"..." Jason was silent a moment. "...I can't tell you much...I don't know enough to explain it, but they're good. Too good for Gotham, but this person has real power to change things," Jason replied carefully. "If there was trouble in Metro-"</p><p>"Oh no. No, she helped us. A magic user going by the alias Pieridae," Conner said quickly. "Do you know her?"</p><p>"What did she do?" Jason didn't think that Mari would go by an alias like that. She hadn't tried to do any vigilante things, other than beating up those guys who tried to attack her.</p><p>"She had butterflies...and she used magic to turn an EMT into some sort of super-powered healer. We didn't find her till after the fight and damage control. The guy didn't remember anything from that period of time, other than consenting to take on abilities. Jon tried to follow her but she disappeared somehow. He can't remember her description the same way twice. The magic users won't even enter Gotham, so you guys are my next step," he finished with a shrug.</p><p>Jason slowly shook his head, "I don't think I know her. The person who helped me doesn't have the ability to do that. We haven't seen anyone like your magic user."</p><p>"Shoot, I was hoping that it was the same person."</p><p>"I'll ask my friend if they know anything," Jason conceded. "I'll contact you with whatever I find."</p><p>"Okay uh...sounds good," Conner replied awkwardly. "And..." he fumbled with his hands looking for the words he wanted, "I wanted to congra-no, I uh...I'm glad that you were able to get rid of the Lazarus pit effects."</p><p>"Thank you," Jason smiled with his reply. It was a small smile, but it was genuine.</p><p>~——-~</p><p>Dick stared down the suspicious platter, he could have sworn that there was more of that god-awful smelling cheese just a second ago. He was also certain that one of his shoes was slightly further to the left than he placed it.</p><p>"Would you like a snack, or something to drink?" Mari punctuated her offer with a glance at the tray piled in all sorts of odd foods. </p><p>Dick almost thought he caught sight of a slight frown before she returned her gaze back. There was no trace of it, so he had to assume that it was his imagination. She seemed so different from when he last saw her.</p><p>Mari looked exhausted and more normal than she had even before the issue with Jason. Apparently her weeks of isolation had done something for her.</p><p>"No, I'm good thank you," he replied. "I assume you are doing better?"</p><p>Mari's smile flickered, "well better is a relative term. The plus side of helping Jason is that I got a crash course in control. The down side is that I also have more abilities that are now solely my own."</p><p>"That's a downside?" Dick inquired.</p><p>Mari waved him in to sit on her couch with a patient smile.</p><p>"It certainly is when the desired goal is to be human. I don't have much room to complain though, I did bring this on myself." I just didn't exactly expect to survive, she finished in her mind.</p><p>Dick would have eyed her speculatively, however he was otherwise engaged in a search for a bump in a pile of fabric that he thought he saw move.</p><p>"Mr. Grayson," Mari said, jolting Dick out of his search. "Other than snooping through my house, what did you come for?"</p><p>"Sorry," Dick said rather abashed by his actions. "It feels like everything is just off, is there something or someone here?"</p><p>Mari let her lips ease into a neutral smile.</p><p>"My gods are always with me. I have set this as my base and so more of my gods congregate here. And Plagg," she let her gaze scan the edges of the room, seeing something Dick couldn't, "is somewhat of a trouble maker. He invites Trixx to make mischief with him. You are a new presence and therefore fun to mess with."</p><p>Mari tried to tweak the truth only a small bit here. That meant less lies for them to be angry about later. Mari still disliked lying, even if it was so necessary now. She knew that despite the Miraculous magic at work here, they would figure her out eventually. Batman had gone to Paris, and was now out on league business. Yet Mari knew that even the Miraculous magic has its limits. There's only so much time before the people and pieces come together. It was a true testament to the power of the Miraculous Magic that it had kept things from being discovered for this long. She could feel the twisting of the magics involved. It was another new aspect of her abilities. </p><p>"That is..."</p><p>"If you so desire Mr. Grayson, we c-"</p><p>"Dick."</p><p>"We can go elsewhere if you'd like, Dick," Mari continued.</p><p>"That's alright, I'll be fine here," Dick replied with his friendly smile firmly in place. "I wanted to know if you could tell me anymore about you or your abilities."</p><p>Mari surveyed him carefully, perhaps in another universe, they could be close friends. He seemed a very personable character. She could see quite a few similarities between Dick and Marinette. However, Marinette no longer exists. That identity was twisted into someone, no something else the moment she activated both of the miraculous.</p><p>"There's not much more to know about me other than my mission, my tailoring abilities, and my gods. In terms of my magical abilities, even I am not certain exactly where I stand or what I am able to do." Placing her hands folded in her lap, Mari somehow managed to keep from glancing at the troublesome Kwamis flitting at the edges of the room.</p><p>"Who are you? Where do you come from? Those are a start," Dick offered.</p><p>"You'll soon learn where I am from. And as for who I am, Mari Fu is me now. I have had too many other personalities melded with my own. The person I used to be doesn't exist. Keeping that name, that identity would simply remind me of what I can never return to. Knowing will not give you insight into who I am now. Besides you all will figure it out soon," Mari said evenly.</p><p>"That's not very helpful."</p><p>"The magic can hold out for only so long," Mari informed.</p><p>"Wait. You're interfering?"</p><p>~-----~</p><p>"Your brother is so annoying."</p><p>"Which one?" Jason chuckled, "never mind, they all are."</p><p>Mari smacked him gently with her foot as she gave him a scolding look. They were both on her couch, Mari draping her legs across Jason's lap and her arm draped over her face.</p><p>"I think you can guess which one. He wouldn't stop questioning me,"Mari complained.</p><p>It brought a smile to Jason's face, to see her so...at ease. </p><p>"You have no idea what it took for me to get that man to leave," she continued.</p><p>"Dick has always been quite the persistent little...well, dick." Jason earned himself another playful kick from Mari.</p><p>"He's your brother."</p><p>"And that's why I can say that. You've never had siblings, have you?" Jason chuckled as Mari's lips pursed and he was fairly certain that she was frowning underneath her arm.</p><p>"You'd be my first," Mari quipped.</p><p>Jason groaned and covered his face with both hands, "please. Please, for the love of whatever you hold sacred, do NOT say that within earshot of any of my family. If Bruce catches wind of it he'll adopt you so fast..."</p><p>"I'm 20 years old Jason. He can't jus-"</p><p>"You are?"</p><p>Mari blinked and her thoughts derailed. She slid her arm off her face to meet Jason's steady and curious gaze. Hers flicked away quickly.</p><p>"No..." she admitted quietly.</p><p>"How old," Jason asked gently.</p><p>"16 as of July." Mari peeked through her hair and seeing his thoughtful expression she continued, "The magic incident aged me physically, so I am technically 20 also."</p><p>"You're just a kid."</p><p>"One that was forced to grow up even before I was physically changed," Mari stayed firmly. She refused to be treated as a child when she had been forced to take on so much responsibility.</p><p>"What you were telling us before...it wasn't 7 years ago..."</p><p>Mari only nodded.</p><p>"Okay, that is...This makes me angry. Righteously angry," Jason growled out.</p><p>"I haven't been on my own. The Kwamis I mean gods have been by my side the entire time. They take care of me as best they can," Mari explained gently. "Besides, there's nothing to do about it now. I can't go back. Best to mo-"</p><p>A knock at the door had Mari trailing off mid sentence.</p><p>"Expecting someone?" </p><p>"No," Mari replied and then shot a scolding glance at Jason. "Stand down, it's probably just one of the kids." That was a lie, Mari could feel the roiling power outside her door. She grabbed her to-go sewing kit and waved off Jason when he tried to follow her.</p><p>"I'll be right back Jason, just stay here."</p><p>Jason retreated back into her living room and Mari slipped out the door and right into the face of her unexpected guest. With the click of the door Mari smiled brightly.</p><p>Pamela Isley unconsciously stepped back in surprise.</p><p>"Let's take a short walk, shall we?" Mari brushed past her like a breeze, soft but not something you have the ability to stop, it rolls past any obstacle an intangible entity.</p><p>Pamela followed along easily. Mari's presence overwhelmed her slightly. Waves of power washing around them, with the healing power left to seep into the very ground Mari walked on. Meanwhile the destructive force swirled tightly around her, bound within some sort of limit.</p><p>"What..." The only word able to leave Pamela's lips. All her previous questions and speeches forgotten in the presence of <b><em>this</em></b>. </p><p>Mari let out a soft laugh, "You are connected with nature. You can feel the shift of balance more deeply in a city such as this I suppose."</p><p>"How...how did you know?" </p><p>Mari's head tilted slightly, "I can see your soul and read some emotions. Of course I know who you are. Besides who wouldn't research the rogues, present and past, of Gotham? I'm Mari Fu, Guardian of Balance." </p><p>Pamela blinked out of her daze as a hand came into sharp focus. The gentle, smiling entity before her offered an extension of friendship.</p><p>Guardian of Balance indeed...</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Wooo!!! I was gonna post this last week right when I reached my min goal for words per chapter, but I had some more ideas and stuff was flowin' along so here we are. Having a whole huge depression episode certainly did wonders for my creativity (Also being trapped indoors due to heavy smoke and me being severely asthmatic helps lmao). More likely me trying to pull myself out of the depression through my writing so not a ton of stuff actually goes down this chapter. But if ya wanted a fic written for the fans, here is not the place to be. This is my self indulgence and I am very much writing for myself. Plus (what is most likely) ADHD got my stories jumpin' all over as usual. Even I don't know where stuff will go.<br/>If you have any questions on stuff in here, feel free to ask. I do have it all mapped out in my head even if it seems all over the place on the page.<br/>Anywho, thanks for reading!<br/>This has become a lot more popular than I ever expected. That's so wild to me. XD<br/>Take care in this absolutely BONKERS year and while I might not make it to the end at this rate, I hope y'all get through.<br/>Till the next chapter,<br/>Azazel out~</p>
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<a name="section0009"><h2>9. Batlings Batlings Everywhere; Chase Those Shadows, Catch a Break</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Tim FINALLY catches a break and Hey we're getting the whole Family together. Woo hoo!! Batlings galore and Jason is doing his best.</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Did someone say, Batfam interactions? No? Welll...too late on that front.</p><p>Author Goldkirk inspired this whole sidetrack and main chapter stuff with their fic Hymn. 1,000,000/10 highly recommend. I adore their batfam interaction stuff and just Bruce being a dad. <br/>https://archiveofourown.org/works/23990548/chapters/57709210 <br/>In this fic, I hc that Bruce might get busy with league stuff and all that sometimes but that he's not a bad dad you know? Maybe he gets a little stuck in his ways when dealing with stuff as batman but he's not perfect and just ya know...Loves his kids.</p><p>Maybe it's just my childhood trauma talking, but having parents that actually care for your well being and actively try to help is just the best to me. They're human, they don't have to be perfect, just trying to change and be better.</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Tim awoke to a haze of sticky notes and a fridge stocked full of food. Based on the varying styles of handwriting, it seemed that several family and non-family members had dropped by.</p><p>And NONE of them woke him up.</p><p>Not to mention that he was fairly certain that he had passed out at his desk, so someone must have moved him to the bed. That annoyed him a little, since most people saw him passed out at the desk and woke him to scold him about better sleeping habits. Which of course, he could and would ignore.</p><p>A glance at the time made Tim double take. He'd slept for almost 18 hours. He hadn't had more than 6 hours of uninterrupted sleep in...well he can't remember how long. It was probably when he got injured 7 months ago and went into a coma. But even then, his nightmares had haunted him.</p><p>This confirmed it. There was definitely something extra wiggy magic going on and it very much had something to do with Mari Fu. He tossed the ink stained paper from his research before into the trash. He'd had just about every problem from computer issues to exploding pens. Not to mention, how many other people were suddenly asking him for help all at once. He had requests out the wazoo and most of them would normally be higher priority.</p><p>But with all the mishaps and weird distractions whenever he settled in to work on digging up Mari Fu's past, Tim knew that something was trying to stop him. It was too obvious once it was all added together. Too many coincidences.</p><p>Tim had enough. It was time, he thought, to confront the person in question and get a few answers.</p><p>~~~~~</p><p>Mari greeted Tim at her door with a knowing smile. She turned in invitation inside.</p><p>"Come in. Would you like any snacks? Or coffee?"</p><p>Tim eyed the stacked serving tray on a counter with wide eyes, missing Mari eyeing certain corners of her apartment in warning.</p><p>"No, no I'm good thanks," Tim replied in a shocked sort of way. He had to give himself a firm mental shakedown to get his brain back on track. There were some very odd foods on that tray and it was bothering him. She had obviously set it out on purpose, but just for him or was this a normal thing?</p><p>"Before we get into your questions, I want to apologize. The magic around me has its own self-defense mechanism and it has caused you trouble. I assure you it was not intentional and neither was it something I could have prevented," Mari stated as she led Tim to her living room area.</p><p>Tim blinked a moment, "How much of my problems were caused by it?"</p><p>Mari smiled apologetically, "Since you became involved with me, all of it. Some things may have happened anyways and were only amplified, but as soon as you started prying into my identity it started kicking in."</p><p>"What sort of crazy magic is this exactly?" </p><p>Mari laced her fingers as she thought about how to phrase her words.</p><p>"It's ancient, older than all other known magics from what I'm told and the defense has helped keep it out of the hands of those who would misuse it. Any who do manage to misuse the power receive massive Karmic backlash and often those who try to interfere with me or the magic will receive similar treatment just on a smaller scale."</p><p>"And you can't stop it," Tim asked?</p><p>"No, not presently and I see no reason to try. I will need to stay in relative obscurity now and in the future. I must only move to preserve balance," Mari explained carefully.</p><p>"How were you involved in Paris?" Tim wasn't ready to let up on his questions. So much had been kept from him by this annoying magic.</p><p>Mari gave him a small conspiratorial smile.</p><p>"Why Tim, that's my origin story."</p><p>"Marinette Dupain-Cheng..." Tim breathed.</p><p>"Will never truly exist again."</p><p>~——-~</p><p>Bruce finally drove into the Bat Cave at 4 AM battered and exhausted. The past few months since the Paris incident had been some of the busiest months he'd ever experienced. He wanted to sleep for a year. Or at least go into a 3-day coma, but first he needed to check up on his kids. He couldn't sleep unless he knew they were all alright.</p><p>He was in the middle of his call with Stephanie as he walked into the kitchen. Bruce nearly dropped his phone at the sight before him.</p><p>There was Jason, prying a cold cup of coffee from a sleeping Tim after having just laid a blanket over his shoulders. He met Bruce's startled gaze before looking down with a small awkward smile.</p><p>"Tim was waiting for you. He heard you were coming back and wanted to catch you right away. I think he's still sleep deprived since he crashed so hard," Jason rambled, sounding so gentle that Bruce could hardly believe it was the same man who usually spat insults and threats in venomous tones.</p><p>"Jason..." Bruce said in awe, before Stephanie's voice reminded him that he was on a call. He quickly ended it with a short I have to go, something came up.</p><p>Jason shifted uneasily before jerking a thumb towards the living room, silently suggesting that they leave Tim to sleep in peace.</p><p>As they reached their target room Jason spun to face Bruce abruptly.</p><p>"Listen, a lot has happened while you were gone. I haven't exactly been all there, you know, mentally. The pit filled me with this unyielding rage..." Jason paused and looked down at his rough, scarred hands. "...but that's gone now. My mental state, soul, mind, whatever, it's all in balance now. I'm still mad at you, don't get me wrong, it's just...not like before and I won't take stuff out on you guys like before. I want to make up for my crap behavior."</p><p>Bruce listened silently, observing Jason's every change in expression and shifting of weight. This was...genuine. It wasn't that he hadn't cared before, but the Jason here before Bruce was missing the volatility. He didn't feel a breath away from snapping and attacking them verbally and/or physically.</p><p>Bruce opened his arms.</p><p>"I missed you Jason. I'm glad you're fully back."</p><p>Jason blinked, surprised a moment before slamming into Bruce with a hug of staggering force, causing the older man to lose his breath for a moment. Bruce couldn't bring himself to mind in the slightest.</p><p>Jason had finally come home.</p><p>~——-~</p><p>A decent portion of the Bat-family were gathered around the strategy table in the Bat Cave. Tim who normally had a full file and presentation to show when he was giving a briefing, held nothing in his hands. Mari had recommended that he try to limit the variables the Miraculous magic might affect.</p><p>"Well, first thing's first. I sort of found your missing girl from the Paris incident," Tim directed at Bruce.</p><p>"Sort of?" Bruce tilted his head with an eyebrow raised, but waited for Tim to continue.</p><p>Tim wrung his hands nervously. He hated not having every detail in a folder to give to whoever requested his help on gathering information.</p><p>"Yes, I've spoken with her. The magic involved is very complex and she can't go back for several reasons but she's doing fine," he explained carefully.</p><p>Duck piped in, "What does this have to do with the rest of us? This is the first I've heard of a missing girl from the Paris incident."</p><p>"I'm getting to that," Tim frowned. "B, could you fill everyone in on the important details about the Paris incident and Marinette Dupain-Cheng?"</p><p>Bruce gave Tim a curious look but jumped into briefing everyone about the details of Paris' recent magic event. The taboo Ladybug committed, the potential disaster if she had made a wish, the lone fight the two heroes had, not even knowing one another's identity. Some of the information was stuff that Tim hadn't heard. It only filled in the minor missing pieces of the story for him. The things he couldn't find.</p><p>"That guardian..." the entire gaggle of bats whipped sharp gazes to the voice that spoke. Alfred stood with Conner and Jon. "...she has this butterfly magic device now?"</p><p>Tim was the one to reply to Jon's question.</p><p>"It's called a Miraculous but yes she does, why do you ask?"</p><p>"Oh," Jason exclaimed softly. "I was looking into an incident in Metropolis in your place with Bab's help. It would make sense if it was the Guardian who dropped by to help out."</p><p>"Alright," Tim murmured half to himself as he thought over this new information. "Tell me about what happened in Metropolis."</p><p>Jon and Conner explained the event. The champion who aided them and who afterwards did not remember anything other than consenting; the strangely dressed woman on a roof of whom Jon couldn't quite remember the same way twice. The pieces fit together. It certainly had to be the Guardian, Marinette Dupain-Cheng.</p><p>A quiet settled over the group after this new information as everyone fit pieces together. Tim was the first to break it.</p><p>"Marinette Dupain-Cheng doesn't really exist anymore. The magic changed her too much, not to mention her responsibility as the Guardian. Jason was the one who found her here in Gotham." Tim spoke carefully as Mari had instructed him. They had to figure out the connection or the magic might try to kick in and protect her.</p><p>"No..." Jason breathed.</p><p>"It couldn't be that coincidental," Dick added with a disbelieving chuckle.</p><p>"Of course it's her," Damian growled out in annoyance. He clicked his tongue sharply and crossed his arms.</p><p>"Who," Bruce stated, not really asking as much as demanding.</p><p>"Mari Fu," Jason answered evenly. "It does make sense...now that I think about it," his brows drew together, "how did I not see it before?"</p><p>Tim had the answer for this one. </p><p>He smiled, "The magic she deals with is very very old and very very powerful. It shifted things to her advantage in keeping her identity a secret. She fully admitted to that part being out of her control and due to being the Guardian."</p><p>"Mari Fu is 20 though. Marinette Dupain-Cheng is 16," Barbara pointed out.</p><p>"No," Jason replied slowly. "The incident aged her and changed her both mentally and physically. That's why she insists that who she was before doesn't matter. She can't go back and even if she could, she's not exactly human anymore."</p><p>"So our butterfly lady comes from the Paris incident? You're saying she's the AWOL hero, Ladybug?" Jon asked, feeling rather lost but certain pieces were forming. The stranger who stepped into the civilian protection in Metropolis turned out to be a vanished Paris hero, now living in Gotham.</p><p>"Yes, that is what it seems," Bruce replied. "What's her status?"</p><p>Jason bristled at his callous tone.</p><p>"She's doing as well as a 16 year-old bombarded with ancient knowledge and powers that aged her body physically to 20 can be doing. She's helping people and healing Gotham. She healed me," Jason revealed, righteous anger flaring. And wow did that anger feel good. Not perverted or polluted by the pit. He would protect Mari with all he had. She had earned that right.</p><p>The others eyed him in a moment of silence and Jason crossed his arms.</p><p>"I won't let you harm her. She deserves open honesty. She's been far more open with us than we deserve. There's still a part of her that's just a kid forced to grow up too fast," Jason said, a little calmer now.</p><p>"Oh no..." Conner breathed, gaze flicking between Bruce and Jason. "It's a learned behavior." His face dawned with horror.</p><p>Tim snorted and Stephanie cackled. The others' reactions varied from indifference, on Alfred's part, to confusion various degrees of concern and all the way to outright disdain.</p><p>Tim finally pulled himself together enough to continue. </p><p>"We so do <b>not</b> have time to study the implications of Jason trying to adopt someone but we do need to know if Mari made a wish with the Ladybug and Black Cat Miraculous."</p><p>Dick had been quiet for a while, absorbing the information and becoming mildly concerned that he might fall into Bruce's serial adoption habits as well. He finally decided to speak up.</p><p>"I've met her a few times as well. I think we should ask her. I think what she did tell us...it was always as close to the truth as she felt we could handle. She was scared and basically alone and B's notorious for being unfriendly towards Metas in Gotham. Besides, I watched her sacrifice some of her own humanity to balance out Jason's soul."</p><p>Jason sent Dick a silent thank you for standing up to defend Mari with him. </p><p>"Alright then, we'll question her," Bruce stated with finality. "I'll pay her a visit."</p><p>"Well..." Tim said slowly with s sheepish grin. "...about that."</p><p>Jason's eyes bugged out a little as he caught on to where Tim was going with his words. and looked down to Tim's shadow, nearly face palming when Tim's shadow gave him a little independent wave.</p><p>"Oh my goodness graciousness Tim...How long has she been there?" </p><p>Tim's eyes went wide at Jason's choice of words and he dropped his gaze with a guilty little grimace.</p><p>"She came back with me," he said playing anxiously with his hands.</p><p>"What are yo-" </p><p>A dark shape stretched up out of Tim's shadow and solidified into Mari Fu right before everyone's eyes.</p><p>Cass leaped back, like a startled cat, weapons quickly drawn. Damian nearly drawing his own sword before simply giving an annoyed "Tt" and crossing his arms. Various jaws dropped and some of the more flighty Bats were in battle stance.</p><p>Mari gave a soft mischievous smile and a little wave.</p><p>"Hello everyone. It's very nice to meet you all."</p><p> </p><hr/><p>Link to <a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/23990548/chapters/57709210">Hymn by Goldkirk</a> It is so gorgeous and precious and it has made me cry the best tears on multiple occasions.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Apparently, Approx. once a month is about how long it takes me to get around to writing up and finishing a chapter. But NO FEAR!!!! We near the end folks. There may perhaps be one final twist before the end. I thank y'all for sticking around. I am SUPER determined to finish this fic. I have so much trouble with that and I want to prove to myself that I can make a mid-sized fic and finish it.</p><p>I adore all y'all's comments and thank you for so many Kudos and Bookmarks. I believe I have mentioned this before but it is so absolutely buck wild to me that this is as popular as it is. Y'all are so cool.</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0010"><h2>10. Change in Rating Notice</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Author's note. Not a new chapter, don't worry it's nothing crazy important.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Ratings randomly got brought up by my mind and I realized I had this as T but after searching for cuss words and a bit of deliberation, I have decided to make it Mature for the Language used. It's not used often (I try to avoid overusing it bc it's more fun to come up with creative work arounds and I know some people prefer not to have it) and idk if it matters much to y'all but just thought I'd inform ya of the change.</p><p>Also, I was gonna include this in the actual next chapter but since I'm making this Author's note anyways, here goes.</p><p>What do you guys think about a fic that's kinda an anti-Adrien bashing fic? I want to show people what real emotional abuse combined with physical isolation can do to a person. How it changes your entire brain structure. Regarding Adrien's behavior concerning the Lila situation; I come from a situation that eerily echoes certain aspects of Adrien's home situation, but I cannot say that I would have done anything different from Adrien when I was his age. I want to give people some insight into how Adrien's brain possibly works. This will be a work where I will be using a lot of the emotions and reactions and thought processes of my own mind as I remember behaving and feeling. This will hit very close to home for me, but I want people to be able to understand. And I want people to see how Adrien can overcome this situation (not without some degree of outside support), become his own person and finally be able to live for himself. Realistically as in very similar to how I ended up doing a lot of my growth (and how I'm still growing lol).<br/>
But anywho, what do y'all think about that idea? Does it seem interesting or like something to enjoy? Do you think I should add some eventual romance to it in order to draw in more people? Or make it a DC crossover too? Idk let me know any thoughts you have.</p><p>(P.S. any romance included would be near the end after Adrien has gone through some growth and feels ready and it would likely not be with Marinette)</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0011"><h2>11. All is Revealed; Devolvement into Chaos</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>[Shows up late with Starbucks]<br/>Batlings, batlings everywhere. Lots of truth being thrown in here. I like me some banter.<br/>And CHAOS. XD</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>My trip to Arizona had an unexpected outage of WiFi at the place I was staying. XD So I didn't end up finishing this chapter and posting it. Plus I got a bunch of inspiration for my original works sooooo yeah this got set to the side for a hot sec. Anywho enjoy.</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <b>Last time on Balance is as Balance Does: </b>
</p><p>A dark shape stretched up out of Tim's shadow and solidified into Mari Fu right before everyone's eyes.</p><p>Cass leaped back, like a  startled cat, weapons quickly drawn. Damian nearly drawing his own  sword before simply giving an annoyed "Tt" and crossing his arms.  Various jaws dropped and some of the more flighty Bats were in battle  stance.</p><p>Mari gave a soft mischievous smile and a little wave.</p><p>"Hello everyone. It's very nice to meet you all."</p><hr/><p> </p><p> </p><p>She didn't want to come off as too conceited or threatening so she remained still and let them all adjust to her presence.</p><p>"Tim invited me to listen in here after I gave him tips for working around the Miraculous protection magic," she said keeping her hands clasped in front of her, never moving too quickly.</p><p>Jason chuckled and slapped Tim on the shoulder.</p><p>"Why am I not surprised that you would pull something like this, Tim-bit."</p><p>Tim scowled, "Don't call me Timbit and I figured turnabout to be fair play. Besides, since you are so attached to her already, I figure she can't be that bad a person."</p><p>Mari turned to Bruce and held out her hand, "I apologize Mister Batman, I had already figured out your identities through Jason. Trixx sensed your secret passages as soon as we came close to the manor. I will not disrespect you by lying," she said as Bruce shook the proffered hand. A peace offering being the silent message in her handshake.</p><p>"Your candor is appreciated," Bruce admitted in low tones. "Since you were listening in, you know what we want to ask."</p><p>Mari nodded and lifted the edge of her jacket. Tikki and Plagg popped out and took up a floating guard on either side of Mari. The demigod in question let drop her control, her eyes shifting and flashing and hair near weightlessly floating. It was not only these things but something about her skin took on an inhuman quality.</p><p>"This is my natural state after combining the Creation and Destruction Miraculous. I have not made any wish, despite being unable to remove the Miraculous from my body."</p><p>The Kwamis nodded, Plagg for once remaining serious and silent. There was more than one skeptical look from among those gathered.</p><p>"It's true. Most people would have burned up simply attempting to wield both of our Miraculous. It is a testament to her affinity and strength of character that Mari not only wielded Plagg and I together, but did not give into the temptation to alter reality or make a wish," Tikki stated firmly.</p><p>"How do we know we can trust the word of you tiny creatures?" Bruce raised an eyebrow in question.</p><p>"Gods." It was Alfred who corrected Bruce. "Kwamis are gods."</p><p>An orange blur raced out to face down Alfred.</p><p>"You've grown rather old, little kit," came the haughty voice of Trixx.</p><p>"And you haven't changed oh wise and magnanimous Trixx," Alfred returned without missing a beat.</p><p>Trixx laughed her trickster laugh, "Ever the charmer aren't you...but the charmers always make the best foxes. So good at tricking people." The little god looked smug in her assessment.</p><p>Mari gave a soft chuckle, while everyone else in the room watched with a mixture of shock and curiosity.</p><p>"I believe Mr. Pennyworth can enlighten you on the legitimacy of the word of a Kwami," she said warmly. "Though perhaps Trixx is not the best reference source."</p><p>"Au contraire dearest guardian. One must be the master of truth in order to be the master of illusion." Trixx gave another cheerful laugh and Mari gave a small bow in apology.</p><p>"You are of course, correct Trixx, yet you enjoy twisting words around in order to send people chasing their tails," Mari countered.</p><p>Trixx's smile was a feral grin.</p><p>"You are not the Guardian of Balance for nothing."</p><p>Mari scoffed softly, "I've been living with all of you free in my apartment since I arrived, it would be rather difficult not to pick up on your true natures."</p><p>"Touché," Trixx remarked with a giggle.</p><p>"You vouch for these...Kwamis Alfred?" Bruce jumped at the lull in banter.</p><p>Alfred nodded, "I do. When it comes to something as serious a matter as this, they would not lie."</p><p>"Were you the one who helped in Metropolis?" Jon popped up with his question. He had been dying to ask for a while.</p><p>"Yes," Mari replied. "I was visiting on a little sight-seeing trip of sorts, but I couldn't bring myself to ignore the plight of so many people. You do not have the cure of the creation Miraculous, Superman should really try to be more careful with how much he destroys."</p><p>"Ohhh...buurn," Stephanie commented as the two protégé of Superman winced in agreement.</p><p>"How long do you intend to remain in Gotham?" Bruce dragged them back to the topic at hand.</p><p>Mari thought for a moment, Bruce approved of the fact that she didn't just spout off an answer and actually made sure to think it over.</p><p>"How long I stay will depend on how much time it takes for me to complete my task. If I continue in my attempt to preserve what little humanity I have left, it could take me up to 3 years."</p><p>"And if you don't? What happens to you then?"</p><p>"I could finish in about a month, setting up and casting the long-term spell. That would be if I disregarded Tikki and Plagg's lives and was willing to absorb them. It'll take me around 6 months to a year to do it after separation, but I know that's not what you meant. To be honest, I am not sure what will happen to me. The Kwamis theorize that I might become a Kwami myself. One unattached to a miraculous and not bound by those rules. Of course, it's also possible that I won't be able to survive after separation from the creation and destruction Miraculous." Mari's tone held the same indifference as someone commenting on the weather. "Although from what I understand of my new abilities that possibility seems fairly slim," Mari mused.</p><p>"What about your parents? You're still listed as missing."</p><p>Mari flinched, her gaze flicking guiltily down.</p><p>"There's a reason I can't go back. Marinette's parents believe she still exists, that she has simply run away," she replied voice tinged with sorrow.</p><p>"You speak like they aren't your parents," Jon commented curiously.</p><p>Mari's lips pursed in mild frustration.</p><p>"I am and I'm not. Tikki, Plagg, and I were combined mind and soul. I've worked hard to make us separate entities, but it's not the same. It can never be. My decision to play with fire has irreversible consequences." Mari's hands were on her hips now as she faced down Batman.</p><p>Bruce crossed his arms, "no wish?"</p><p>Mari looked stricken. The knowledge she now possessed of what it would take to balance out that particular wish made her nearly sick.</p><p>"I could never..." tears now gathered at the corners of her eyes. "You have no idea how many lives that wish alone would ruin."</p><p>"And you do?" </p><p>Mari forcefully held Batman's gaze, her eyes a piercing electric blue.</p><p>"Yes."</p><p>~-----~</p><p>It took a while, but eventually the whole unexpected group get-together moved upstairs to a more comfortable setting. Jason solidly refused Mari's offer to leave them all alone to process. </p><p>He crashed on the opposite end of a couch from Tim, the others settling on the other couch or various armchairs in the room with Alfred taking drink orders from everyone before disappearing. </p><p>Mari came back from the bathroom, surveyed the room and available spots before crash landing in Jason's lap.</p><p>This earned startled looks from everyone.</p><p>Tim eyed them with a questioning stare.</p><p>"Are you two..." He made a gesture with his hands, <em>'together'.</em></p><p>Both Jason and Mari spluttered in indignation, while Dick cackled.</p><p>""EWW, NO!"" They answered in unison. "He's like my brother!" "She's a minor!"</p><p>Mari turned on Jason, "Technically, I'm as old as creation."</p><p>"<b><em>Technically</em></b>, you're sixteen," Jason retorted with a scoff. </p><p>"Older than you maturity level-wise," Mari grumbled with arms crossed, refusing to move from her perch on top of Jason. As payback she increased her own weight despite knowing that was the exact opposite of mature.</p><p>"Well, I've already died so that grants me seniority," Jason said smugly. Clearly assuming that he'd won this argument.</p><p>"I have too, probably more times than you and that's not counting the time I got stabbed in the heart because I'm fairly certain that I was technically immortal in that moment." After that statement, silence fell like a thick blanket over the room. Mari scowled at the concerned sea of faces.</p><p>"It turned out fine in the end. I'm here aren't I? Besides I know for a fact that more than one of you present has died at least once. If I were still Marinette I would likely be filled with righteous fury for being left alone out there, but that was a lifetime ago for me. The worries and values I held then are not the same ones I hold now." Her eyes flashed gold for just a moment. "I'm no longer human."</p><p>"Fine..." Jason grumbled, breaking the tension. It wasn't hard for him to do since Mari was still planted in his lap.</p><p>"Oh, by the way," Mari added suddenly, "Your new jacket is done so please burn that old one."</p><p>"It's my jacket. I'll keep it if I want," Jason snapped back.</p><p>"It also has blood and Kwamis only know what else on it. Burn it." Mari's eyes were cold and flickering dangerously. "Or I will..." she threatened.</p><p>"Hey! It has history and valuable memories attached to it."</p><p>"The balance of Gotham is at stake here."</p><p>"The balance of my life is at stake here! That jacket is important to me." </p><p>The quickly devolving argument garnered a mixture of amusement and confusion from the audience in the room.</p><p class="">"That jacket is an affront to clothing everywhere."</p><p>"It. Has. History!"</p><p>"It. Has. Mange!" </p><p>"What..."Jason took a moment to remember what Mange even was. "It...Does not..." </p><p>"Even if it doesn't, it might as well have it with how gross it looks." Mari crossed her arms. </p><p>"Hey! That's rea-"</p><p>"I have spoken," Mari stated firmly.</p><p>"Did you just...Mandalorian quote him?" asked Jon in mild disbelief.</p><p>""This is the way,"" chorused the voices of all Batlings present plus Mari. </p><p>"Okay, that was creepy," Dick admitted with a chuckle.</p><p>"Kon..."Jon whispered, horrified, "she's already one of them." Jon and Conner turned their gazes to Bruce, who most definitely looked to be filling out mental adoption papers.</p><p> </p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>The idea of Alfred being a foxy boi is something I don't think I've seen and an idea that I find I enjoy immensely. He always knows what's going on legit like everything u can hide nothing from this man, he's snarky as hell [see that one comic scene where he throws away nothing just to prove a point], and I feel like he could lie well enough to pass a polygraph test. XD</p><p>And oh man do I love my arguments that devolve into chaos. Glorious...It brings me so much joy.</p><p>Well...Now I'm trying to figure out if I should try for some sort of climax before finishing this or just end it on a low key note. Like I have ideas for both so what do you guys think? Sometimes it's nice not to add drama and just let a story be but other times you feel like it's building up to something. Idk...</p><p>Y'all's votes won't make my choice for me but it might help me decide. Honestly I could go either way with it.<br/>[side question: would you like an update in between chapters, consisting of snippets from some of my own books? mainly funny scenes and fluff.]</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0012"><h2>12. Coming Soon...</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>I'm not done with the next chapter yet.</p><p>Plus filler content.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Don't worry, I'm not going to drop this story. I'm just slow.</p><p> </p><p>Welp December was hecka stressful, and so here I am with like two paragraphs of the next chapter done. I just wanted to let y'all know that I'm taking a bit more time with the chapter. It's never a bad thing to take more time if you need to on something, especially where mental health is concerned. I may be finished with the next chapter within a few days or it may be a few weeks. It'll depend entirely on my creative flow, so I have no clue. XD I figured I'd include a little bit of fun filler content for y'all, so if you don't care for stuff not related to this story feel free to leave off here. The rest is just random content from other stories. Take care of yourselves!</p><p> </p><hr/><p> </p><p>[First is an excerpt from my unposted Batman Fanfic called Civility, Subterfuge, and Oh So Many Orphans.]</p><p> </p><p>Alfred Pennyworth has served the Wayne family for a very long time. It is very true to admit that he is starting to get on in years. There is only so much that a quality diet and exercise can do against the aging process. Especially when one's patience is frequently tested by the ever growing number of children that Bruce Wayne has adopted into the household, both officially and unofficially. The unflappable butler Alfred was always on top of everything that needed to be taken care of, often going above and beyond his duties as butler. It may or may not have been due to the fact that Alfred was just as much part of the family as anyone else in the household and the glue that held them through the rough patches.<br/>With all this said, Alfred knew that one day he would have to retire and he had decided that now was the time to bring in someone to eventually take his spot as caretaker of the Wayne household. There could be no mistakes with the secret identities of the Wayne children and grandchildren on the line. It had to be someone just like Alfred. Someone who could remain calm and in control at all times and who the children would actually listen to. Alfred knows they don't listen to Bruce. It would have to be someone that everyone would come to adore with enough time, someone that Alfred has absolute trust in.<br/>Luckily enough, he knew just who to call in.</p><p> </p><p>It was another wonderful Gotham day with a stiff chilled breeze and the clouds shifting moodily overhead.<br/>Alfred was cheerily baking and had been all morning. <br/>Dick Grayson, felt there must be something off. While yes, there were in fact days where Alfred would go on a baking spree, it was usually around the holidays when the entirety of the bat clan filled the manor with cheer and crazy antics. <br/>As far as Dick knew, there wasn't anything going on that should warrant this sort of extravagant baking. <br/>Dick was tossing his snatched apple absentmindedly debating if the chandelier in the main foyer would still hold his weight, when the doorbell startled him.<br/>"I'll be right there," called Alfred, "Master Dick, would you be so kind as to get the door while I wash off my hands?"<br/>"Yeah Alfie," Dick hollered back, "I got it."<br/>Of all the things Dick thought he might see upon opening the door, not the least of which was the Joker himself, he was not prepared for the woman whose height could easily rival Bruce's 6'1 stature. She had a smile in her eye though there was not one to be found on her face.<br/>"Greetings. You are Master Richard Grayson I presume?" Dick only blinked for a moment of time. She was like a female Alfred, from clothing right down to the facial expressions and accent. <br/>"Uh...yeah, just call me Dick," he finally managed to reply.<br/>"It is a pleasure to make your acquaintance Master Dick," she said easily. Her expression suddenly broke into a smile as Alfred took the door from Dick's hand and opened it wide. "Alfred!"<br/>"Anne," Alfred replied warmly. Dick backed out of the way, gaping like a fish out of water at Alfred's smile and warm greeting to the woman of Amazonian stature. <br/>The two hugged before turning to face Dick who was still frozen.<br/>"My apologies Master Dick. My name is Mary-Anne Weatherford, but please just call me Anne." Even her bow as she introduced herself was a carbon copy of Alfred's.<br/>"Miss Anne is going to be working in the manor with me," Alfred said coolly. Dicks eyes widened as he realized what that would mean. Silently, Dick tried to communicate his panic to Alfred. <br/>The man in question seemed to ignore Dick fully as he invited Anne into the manor. <br/>"Alfred, what are you doing?!" Dick was whisper yelling at the old butler. <br/>"Please do come this way, Anne. Shall I get us some tea so we may catch up?" Alfred glanced back at the near frantic Dick Grayson. "Might I suggest you pick up some of you and your brother's things around the house before I give Anne a tour later?"<br/>Oh stars....that meant she wasn't going to be in on the secret. What was he...<br/>Dick suddenly sprinted from the room and spent the next hour scouring the manor for anything related to their secret identities.</p><p>"Alfred," Anne said between sips of tea.<br/>"Yes?"<br/>"That poor boy is running around trying to erase all evidence of the family's vigilantism isn't he?" <br/>Alfred gave a small self satisfied smile. <br/>"I see I've trained you well. I will admit that I am using you to give them a little hell. Besides, they'll love you all the more for it in the end. The transition will be smoother if you are simply a part of the routine," Alfred said. He took another sip of tea before standing. <br/>"Would you care for some scones, Anne? As soon as Master Jason arrives, they will all disappear rather mysteriously."<br/>Anne chuckled and smiled behind her tea cup. <br/>"Oh Alfred, you are a sly fox as always. I will have a scone, but it will be while I help you with whatever half baked recipe you have in that kitchen currently," she replied downing the last of her tea and standing up as well.<br/>"I do believe that my choice in replacement is not only the correct choice, but the perfect one dear Anne," Alfred commented with a proud smile.<br/>Anne returned the smile and followed Alfred to the kitchen. <br/>"I have replaced you once, why not again?" She caught his eyes carefully. "Agent A..." the mood turned suddenly serious, "...you know they would take you back as a teacher within a single beat of a heart."<br/>"There was a reason that I left, Miss New Agent A," Alfred replied coolly. Anne's expression brightened once more.<br/>"Oh, I'm the old one now," Anne said. Her eyes twinkled mischievously, "just one more thing I've replaced you in." The mischief dropped, but not back to the serious tone from before. "I didn't train the new one. They're only whatever pale imitation the agency can produce..." She paused before quietly murmuring, "thank you for giving me an escape option..."<br/>Alfred paused a moment in his word to observe his old pupil. He nodded, as if confirming something.<br/>"These tarts over here have finished cooling. The fruit garnish is in the third fridge," he said and promptly returned to the dough he was currently working with. Anne nodded silently and retrieved the fruit. <br/>They worked in a silence that spoke of a lifetime of trust. Together they quickly finished prepping the unbaked treats and had them in the oven by Alfred's promised hour of catch-up time. With timers set, Alfred led Anne through the house.<br/>Strangely enough they didn't speak, even now. Alfred simply led Anne from room to room, letting her observe for a few moments before moving on.<br/>Dick followed the two for a short section of the tour. It was one of the fastest yet strangest tours of the Wayne manor Dick had ever been witness to.<br/>They were finished and in the kitchen right as the first timer went off. Richard Grayson was baffled.</p><p>Hours of reconnaissance later, Dick's only hope for an ally in this confusing mess was Jason. Granted, Jason wasn't exactly his top choice for ally but at the moment Jason was his only choice. Dick was feeling very lost and bereft with this whole new change. He thought he stayed pretty well on top of everything that was going on in the house. Sure, he was only here on weekends and holidays with the occasional vacation, but he had kept tabs on everyone and was always tapped into the security system. </p><p>Hey! It's not creepy, it's just a bat thing.</p><p>The sound of Jason's bike in the garage was a heavenly sound. Dick raced out there before Alfred or the new lady came to open doors.</p><p>"Jason! Jason! You have to help!"</p><p>"Just what are you talking about Dickie-Bird?" Jason's mildly confused and annoyed reaction was not unwarranted as Dick began to shake him desperately.</p><p>"There's two of them!"</p><p>Jason had to work to get out of his brother's rattling grasp, but finally managed it.</p><p>"What the hell?! Can you just chill out for two seconds?" Jason finally had the chance to remove his bike helmet and he ran a hand through his hair.</p><p>The door to the manor opened before Dick could rant any further and that terrifying female voice rang out.</p><p>"Master Dick, Master Jason, do you intend to enter the manor or shall you remain in the garage for the duration of the evening?" Dick shuddered at how eerily Anne's voice sounded like Alfred's.</p><p>Jason pushed his helmet into Dick's hands and walked up to where Anne stood at the door.</p><p>"You must be Anne," Jason said casually with a hand extended.</p><p>Anne bowed and then shook Jason's hands as she said, "Mary-Anne Weatherford, at your service, but please do continue to call me Anne. It is a pleasure to meet you Master Jason Todd."</p><p>Dick stared, jaw essentially on the floor. Sure Jason had been going to counseling lately, but this was far beyond the norm for his behavior.</p><p>Jason chuckled, "with you added to the staff, we can just call you two A-squared."</p><p>"Very clever, Master Jason," Anne commented in a tone that could be taken as hiding her amusement or pure sarcasm sugar coated in politeness. Needless to say, exactly the tone that Alfred would have used.</p><p>"You comin' Dickie-bird?"</p><p>Jason almost couldn't keep a straight face when he saw how utterly lost and confused his elder brother was.</p><p>This was great, no better than great. This...this was the opportunity of a lifetime to get one-up on all of his siblings and all because he stayed close with Alfred.</p><p>Not that this was the only reason that Jason stayed close with Alfred. Heavens no, the man had always been Jason's father figure. He would always have Jason's respect and love. He was the only tolerable one in the whole damn family. <br/>And...perhaps Anne wouldn't turn out to be too bad either.</p><p> </p><hr/><p> </p><p>[Now this one is from my original works so if you aren't interested in non-fanfic stuff you can scroll to the bottom or take off now. Thank you for reading as far as you did. This is an excerpt from my main hero series, probably from the third book in the series.]</p><p> </p><p>Greave has power-disabling cuffs they use on villains. However, since Evalee and Decebel are from elsewhere these cuffs don't work on them. Decibel simply hides this fact and Evalee just does her own thing.</p><p>Lady Electra/Evalee/Mysterin -are all the same name for Evanlina</p><p>Winterwhip/Dek -Decibel</p><p>Shadowleaf,</p><p>"You're here again?" Electra sighed exasperated.</p><p>"I'm here to take you down, Electra," Starbolt declared boldly. Electra raised an eyebrow, unimpressed. She rested her chin on her hand, inhaled deeply, and then shifted her weight out of her chair and stood.</p><p>"Aren't you supposed to be in school?" Starbolt stiffened and frowned.</p><p>"I'm a hero this is my job," he snapped back.</p><p>"Yeah, but I thought there was some hero school or something," Electra paused in thought. "Wait...Is that some other world?" She was very serious in her contemplation.</p><p>Starbolt brought her back on topic, "Come on, I'm not here for your weird musings. I came to bring you in. Surrender now or fight."</p><p>"I was so certain there was a hero school here," Electra continued without regard to Starbolt's frustration.</p><p>"Yes, there's a school," Starbolt exclaimed, exasperated. He continued, "That's not important right now. Can you focus, please?!"</p><p>"So why are you here?"</p><p>Starbolt let out a groan and dragged a hand down his face.</p><p>"I am here. To. Fight. You." He said it as if Electra was hard of hearing or slow in some way.</p><p>"I know that," Starbolt let out a cry of frustration. "I meant why are you not in the hero school right now?"</p><p>Starbolt was the one sighing now.</p><p>"I graduated."</p><p>"You're what, 13?"</p><p>"I'm 16 and I graduated early, okay? Now are you coming quietly or no?" He was trying his best to look intimidating and grownup.</p><p>"You are far too young to be fighting anyone, let alone me," Electra continued; another surge of irritation radiated off Starbolt. "Honestly, why do they not have a buddy system here. It was quite literally the best thing that happened to me," now Starbolt was confused. Lady Electra didn't have any partners as far as he knew.</p><p>"I have absolutely no idea what you are talking about, Electra. Can we just fight now since you obviously aren't going to come in peacefully?" Starbolt was so done with everything at this point.</p><p>"Oh, I'm not going to fight you," Electra said easily. Starbolt stared in disbelief for about five seconds.</p><p>He straightened, turned on his heel and started walking out of the warehouse without a word.</p><p>Electra flew over and landed next to him, "Ah, there are your cuffs," she said snatching them off his belt and cuffing one of her wrists.</p><p>Starbolt stopped and watched her in confusion as Electra held out her hands to him.</p><p>"Could you get that other one for me," she asked with a smile. Starbolt hesitantly cuffed Electra's other wrist, brows furrowed in confusion. It was only his second encounter with the villain and the first time, she had been semi-occupied by whatever villainous plot that she was trying to carry out. She hadn't really seemed like she was paying much attention to him. Maybe that was why she had fought him then, yet wouldn't now.</p><p>She went along almost happily to the supermax facility for super-powered people. She was too eager, it made Starbolt wary.</p><p>~-----~</p><p>"They arrested you today."</p><p>It wasn't a question, so Evanlina did not deign to answer as she burrowed into the covers.</p><p>"Jeez. You're freezing!" came the exclamation as ice-cold limbs promptly found bare skin.</p><p>"It's cold outside."</p><p>"Then why didn't you stay in the cell," Decibel tried not to sound exasperated and failed.</p><p>"I missed you," Evanlina murmured. She then proceeded to nuzzle her cold nose into Decibel's neck.</p><p>The squawk and flailing that came next was not all that surprising. She snagged him just before he flailed off the bed.</p><p>He glared at the dark mound in the blankets with him, knowing full well the only reason she saved him was the fact that he was warm.</p><p>"You just want me for my body."</p><p>A laugh burst out before quickly being muffled into a pillow. Decibel's glare increased in intensity. He knew that she could see it, even if his eyes did not adjust fully to such a deep darkness.</p><p>"You're the only one who can make me laugh like this," she said softly.</p><p>"You may be telling the truth, but I refuse to be disarmed by your sweet nothings."</p><p>Despite his words, Decibel was already curling himself into the warmth of the creature sharing his bed.</p><p>"I don't have to go back to my cell tomorrow morning," Evanlina reasoned.</p><p>Decibel groaned, "You were planning to go back?" He then sighed, "honestly how am I still surprised by you? You do the exact opposite of what people expect."</p><p>"If I didn't, I'd become predictable."</p><p>"Oh no, what a nightmare."</p><p>The sarcasm earned a muffled snicker.</p><p>"I swear for a 'I'm-an-immortal-being-so-old-I-have-trouble-with-emotions' you sure show a lot of them," Decibel commented dryly.</p><p>"What can I say? You make me feel alive."</p><p>Decibel shoved a hand in her face to stop the flow of sentimental words. This earned a squirm and a surprised 'herk'.</p><p>"Go to sleep, you overgrown cookie," Decibel scolded gently, too tired to make a proper insult.</p><p>"Nyaw...I love you too."</p><p>Evanlina nestled more firmly around Decibel, shifting back to her natural form to better curl around her husband. Soon she stilled and magic dripped off her skin.</p><p>That was something Decibel had taken a while to become accustomed to. She leaked magic so strongly that it was nearly tangible. It was strongest when she had fallen asleep. That was always how he could tell.</p><p>He pressed a feather-light kiss the arm that encircled him.</p><p>"I love you too, Evalee..."</p><p>~-----~</p><p>Starbolt stared at the empty cell with mounting horror.</p><p>Lady Electra had escaped.</p><p>The fully cuffed villain in a cell that should cancel any powers, had escaped. Her cell door had simply been opened. Then she had pried the bars out of a window and made what they had to assume was a flying escape.</p><p>A crunch had Starbolt whirling around. There stood Lady Electra, bag of dry cereal in one hand, coffee in the other. The power dampening cuffs firmly in place on her wrists.</p><p>She gazed over the assembled people before her, casually popping another few pieces of cereal into her mouth.</p><p>"Sorry that I made you guys worry, I woke up late," she stated as if that explained everything. At the alarmed looks she was given she continued, "I won't make any scenes while I'm supposed to be in prison. No worries. Only my husband knows."</p><p>"What?"</p><p>That single word was overflowing with confusion.</p><p>"It's cold in that cell so I went home for the night."</p><p>Not a single hero or guard was able to speak.</p><p>"Anyway...I'm back now, so can I return to my cell?"</p><p>"Isolation," mumbled Starbolt.</p><p>"Oh sure, as long as I can bring my breakfast."</p><p>~*~</p><p>They didn't let her bring her breakfast. </p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>So that's the end of things for today folks. If you read everything, thank you so much and I hope you enjoyed. Also for however much of this chapter you read today, thank you and the next chapter will be our regularly scheduled content, barring any extreme circumstances.</p><p>I know no one asked for the random in between content, but it's just sitting around with me and I figure it's better than nothing.<br/>Take care y'all and I'll be doing the same. Keep up the hard work, y'all are awesome!</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0013"><h2>13. Of Fires and Royalty and Gardening</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Meetings and Gardening. That pretty well sums it up. Someone(s) confront(s) Mari on her self-sacrificing tendencies.</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>This chapter is a little haphazard. I struggled to really take off with it, especially after certain life events (I'll elaborate at the end notes lol). 'Tis also a little short but c'est la vie.</p><p>Vaguely edited 16/02/2021</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Jason gazed into the flickering flames with a defiant stare. He let the heat from the burning papers warm his soul and the thought that no more physical copies of falsified adoption papers remained within Bruce's reach put a smile on his face. Barbara and Alfred helping him eradicate all of the hidden copies on various computers and flash drives, was a welcome surprise.</p><p>He tucked his hands into the pockets on his new jacket, reveling in how nice it felt. Quality tailoring combined with his preferred clothing choice. Plus, secret pockets for weapons and gadgets. It had already served him well in the short time he'd had it.</p><p>Alfred handed Mari a folded piece of paper as she walked out the door that night and Jason had a very strong inkling it contained the up-to-date measurements for their entire household.</p><p> </p><p>~-----~<br/><br/></p><p>"It is an honor to meet the guardian of the Miraculous." Diana gave a small bow of her head out of respect. She had been in contact with her mother and sisters on Themyscira. Some had been wielders of the Miraculous and most had been willing to aide Diana in her quest for more information.</p><p>"The honor is mine," Mari replied with a mask of a smile. A few Kwamis peaked around Mari and even more poked heads around corners, hovering at the edges of the room. "Jason told me you wanted to talk with me about the guardianship."</p><p>Diana nodded, "yes, my mother, Queen Hippolyta wished for me to inform you, should you ever need refuge, the Amazons would be honored to harbor and protect you. And of course, if you would ever like advice or simply company, both my mother and myself are happy to oblige."</p><p>Mari nearly took a step back, but rooted her feet and quelled her surprise.</p><p>"That is a very generous offer, one that is very appreciated."</p><p>"Queen Hippolyta would love to meet you when you have the time," Diana continued.</p><p>Mari's smile softened into a more genuine form as she relaxed.</p><p>"I will be sure to do so after my business in Gotham is finished." Mari purposely left her statement with a vague timeline. It wasn't that she didn't intend to accept the Queen's offer of hospitality, but rather that time was so much more...fluid now. Certain moments passed with the same slow creeping that she had felt while human, while upon other occasions, weeks would pass in a blink and she had a feeling this development was only going to get worse.</p><p>"Of course. That is to be expected. I am glad that is out of the way," Diana transitioned smoothly out of her formal tone, "I wanted to commend you for your bravery in the face of so many new changes in your life."</p><p>Mari gestured for Diana to take a seat and they both did so. This gave her a moment to gather her thoughts and decide how to respond. Diana's words seemed genuine and had not come across as patronizing. That was certainly something Mari appreciated.</p><p>"It was a path I felt forced to take, but I believe I would make the very same decision even if knew how it would feel." Mari decided to break up the seriousness of the moment. "The pieces of millions of years of knowledge now floating around up here," she tapped her head, "help too."</p><p>Diana chuckled at that comment, "I suppose it would. I would recommend talking to Shazam to find someone to relate to on that front, seeing as the League's magic users seem wary of being near you."</p><p>Mari tipped her head in mild surprise and it was Plagg who floated in between the two women with a cube of cheese grasped in his paws.</p><p>"Well that's because our magic can cause major karmic backlash to those who interfere with the Miraculous. It's especially effective on other younger magics. We have a bad reputation after one of my kits went rogue and caused havoc for the magic users who tried to reign him in," he said with his usual casual carelessness.</p><p>"I'm certain the fact that it was you out of all the Miraculous did not help," Mari said.</p><p>Plagg turned and made a sweeping bow to Diana, "Plagg, Kwami of destruction, chaos, bad luck, and all that rot." He paused before turning to Mari with an annoyed grimace. "The fact that I want to say, at your service, must be your fault. I feel like I'm going soft."</p><p>Mari's chuckle only made him huff and stuff the cube of cheese in his mouth. He also blamed his branching palate, namely sweeter cheeses, on Mari and their merger of souls. He had grumbled on several occasions about how Camembert no longer tasted as good.</p><p>Diana blinked, "I see...," she said slowly.<br/><br/><br/></p><p>~-----~<br/><br/><br/><br/></p><p>Mari found herself in a rather unique predicament. Being dragged into a very fancy but eco-friendly car was not on the list of things she expected to have happen today. She might have been alarmed but she recalled seeing this particular colorful blonde back on the day Pamela visited. Pamela had left with the woman that day if Marinette was recalling correctly.</p><p>The music blasting from the stereo would have made any attempts at conversation futile so Mari did not try. She and Plagg riffled through his memories and found a bit of magic to protect her ears. The ride was rather rushed and perhaps Marinette would have worried about getting into an accident, Mari thought absently.</p><p>She had to brace when the stranger finally brought them to a fast halt outside a leaning apartment complex surrounded by an explosive growth of various plant life. She barely understood a word in the fast babble of talk as she was led inside the building.</p><p>Humidity slammed into them as they entered and it was easy to see why. The whole main lobby area was its own greenhouse. Save for the plants, the place looked abandoned. The bubbly stranger snagged Mari's arm and hauled her through a door into a stairwell and then quickly up to the second floor.</p><p>"I got your park lady, Red. Just like ya asked."</p><p>It was the first clear sentence that Mari was able to pick out and it was aimed at Pamela. Just as Mari had suspected, Pamela was the one behind her strange abduction.</p><p>"I'm Mari Fu. I assume Pamela asked you to bring me here?" Mari gave the women a calm smile.</p><p>"Ohh sorry hun, I'm Dr. Harleen Quinzel, just call me Harley. Nice to meet ya," Harley replied with a sheepish smile. "Like I was saying on the way in, Red needed you asap for this super rare plant."</p><p>Mari didn't bother to mention that she had missed most of the stream of words that Harley had launched at her. She could feel the plant in question. It struggled to cling to life, barely sustained by Pamela's abilities. Mari knelt next to Pamela and dug her hands into the soft soil around the plant.</p><p>"I've got it," she murmured as her eyes changed color. The soil around her hands warmed and glowed in a magical bioluminescence of it's own.</p><p>"Thanks," Pamela murmured wearily. "I wasn't sure how much longer I could keep it going."</p><p>Mari gave Pamela a flash of a small smile as her creation magic seeped into the plant and the soil around it. She coaxed the plant into taking hold of the magic and using it to thrive. It would take off in a day or two and would no longer be in danger of dying.</p><p>"I am happy to help where I can."</p><p>"Yes, I've noticed that you haven't done that stunt you did with the park anywhere else yet. I assume there must be a reason?"</p><p>"Ah...that. Yes," Mari replied slowly. "I can do it if you'd like."</p><p>"What is the reason why you have yet to do it?" Pamela was insistent and Mari caved.</p><p>"It's more power than I can use on my own." She grimaced. "When I borrow power I become less and less human. I still seem to have my attachments to my humanity. But if it is to help others, to make Gotham a safer place, of course I would be willing to give all I have."</p><p>Pamela held up a hand.</p><p>"I'll stop you right there dear. If you give up your humanity, you will become unable to relate to them and their problems. You may even decide to stop helping them. Besides, giving your best doesn't mean running yourself ragged until you break down. It means knowing your limits and when not to go beyond them."</p><p>"Red's right ya know," Harley chimed in. "Self-destruction helps no one. Besides, some part of you would resent humanity for pushing you to give up yourself and your humanity. Ya might even end up a villain, doll, and that helps no one."</p><p>Mari didn't respond right away as she pondered their words. For so much of Marinette's life, she had been pushed and pushed and pushed to handle everything; school, civilian life, work, hobbies, the weight of the world on her shoulders. It had broken her enough that she had resorted to combining the miraculous in order to finally end things, to escape. And here she was, offering to give the last remaining pieces of her own humanity up at the smallest opportunity.</p><p>"Perhaps I've been using it to run away. Like if I throw that humanity away now, I won't have to feel it slipping through my fingers later."</p><p>"But perhaps instead you could embrace your new self. Something not quite human but not quite <b>'other'</b>." Pamela rested a gentle hand on Mari's shoulder. Something Mari found comforting rather than alien or over familiar.</p><p>"Perhaps I'll try that,"Mari conceded peacefully.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>tbh I had no idea who I was going to have confront Mari on this chapter. I just knew that someone was. You can pretty well see my thought process. Originally it was going to be Jason but I got stuck on his scene of burning adoption papers so that was abandoned. Then it was gonna be Diana bc why not but then I jsut kinda fizzled out on that scene and didn't feel like it fit so Mari got halfway kidnapped and thus the last part came to be the confrontation. XD</p><p> </p><p>If you read Cat Cursed then not much of this is news but TO THE OTHERS....</p><p>I HAVE BEEN DIAGNOSED WITH ADHD!!! WOOO!!!! (It's something I've been struggling with a ton recently and vaguely struggling with for my entire life but ya know....)</p><p>GOOD NEWS!!!!<br/>I'm on some anxiety/depression meds now that make me have a lot more energy and basically ZERO anxiety</p><p>BAD NEWS!!!<br/>I have no adhd meds yet and since the anxiety was the one handle I had to control the adhd, my brain has pretty well gone off the rails.<br/>[picture that polar express scene where the train hits the frozen lake except there are 5 trains, at least two of which are on fire, 4 out of 5 of the trains are on a collision course and everyone is screaming because there are no brakes or steering and well...fire]<br/>Yeah....that's my brain. Hue hue hue~</p><p>So anywho  T I M E  is not a thing that I have any sort of hold on at the moment and until I figure out my brain shenanigans or down enough caffeine to get my brain to near functionality, my writing will be eclectic and/or possibly slow.</p><p> </p><p>TLDR; Possibly Slower updates but I'm not abandoning this.</p>
        </blockquote><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Yoooooo so I read a fic with the idea that Mari uses both the miraculous with some interesting side effects and I really loved that idea. So I tried to find more fics and low-and-behold. I found none. Sooooo here's the one-shot [Now a series though probably still going to be relatively short]. Please do comment any ideas or suggestions.</p></blockquote></div></div>
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